The UTD Men’s Basketball Team opened up the 2023 midseason with both a historic first for UTD and their first loss in the American Southwest Conference, which held them tied for first place in the ASC.
January 5: Winning against Concordia Texas 107-74.
The UTD Men’s Basketball Team opened up the midseason with a victory against Concordia, continuing their eight-game win streak – a streak Comets haven’t seen since 2020.
Comets broke Concordia University Texas’s four-win streak at a home game in the UTD Activity Center. As a result of breaking this streak, the Comets were officially recognized in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, a first for UTD.
The Comets made a higher-than-average 42 out of 72 attempted field goals. Similarly, Comets made an elevated 11 out of 29 attempted three-pointers because of sophomore Caden McKenzie, who scored four game changing three-pointers. The team also broke a season- record with 50 rebounds and 32 assists.
The Comets closed out the first half of the game with a lead of 10 points. In the second half, the Comets consistently broke the Tornadoes’ defensive perimeter and peaked with a lead of 37 points. In the last three minutes, Comets broke over 100 points. Freshman Jackson Steele received a standing ovation from spectators with a three-pointer, finalizing the Comets’ score of 107, which is the highest number of points the team has scored all season.
Leading UTD’s offense, graduate student Kyle Poerschke broke his season record by scoring 32 points on field goals and making six rebounds. With the best overall coverage, senior Hunter Stevens scored 11 points, rebounded four and made a season best of nine assists. Sophomore Luke Kiser delivered seven rebounds and a career record of 12 assists.
January 7: Loss against #18/24 Mary Hardin-Baylor 99-93
The UTD Men’s Basketball Team broke its win streak with a loss against Mary Hardin-Baylor – their first loss in the ASC. Regardless, the Comets remained tied in the ASC to East Texas Baptist for first place.
The Comets faced against Mary-Hardin Baylor’s the Cru (10-4, 5-3 ASC) who the Comets lost games to in the last two seasons. Still, the Comets managed to break season records with 27 free throws, led by Luke Kiser, who scored nine out of 12 attempted throws. However, the Comets also committed 26 fouls, the most they committed this semester, which allowed the Cru to score 29 points from free throws alone.
Sophomore Nick Donnelly brought the Comets five impressive three-pointers as guard, setting a career record with 17 points scored in 17 minutes of gameplay.
