The first half of the 2003-04 season has been a struggle for the UTD women’s basketball team. A 3-8 start and a couple of blowout losses could be discouraging to most teams, but the Comets are looking forward to regrouping and making a run as American Southwest Conference East Division play resumes in mid-January.

The Comets, who lost a pair of close games to finish out their crossover schedule against the ASC West in early January, began a series of 13 games on Jan. 15 exclusively against East Division opponents. A first or second-place finish in the East could earn UTD a spot in the post-season tournament.

Like most of the other teams in the East, the Comets are anxious to get away from the West powerhouses. Only two ASC East teams – Mississippi College (11-2 overall) and Austin College (which has won six of its last seven games) – finished with a winning record in the crossover games.

Through Jan. 12, the Comets had been paced statistically by junior transfer Crystal Pope, who was averaging 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. But seven other team members have had breakout games where they led the team in scoring.

Center Cassi Little (9.8 ppg/5.4 rb) is back after missing a pair of games with injuries. Freshman Jenna Harris has come on to average 6.3 rebounds per game. Veterans Kia Jones (9.1 ppg) and Jennifer Longoria (8.5 ppg) – who each have had team-high 22-point games this season – have become scoring threats.

The Comets, who are 1-0 in the East after a 66-58 over UT-Tyler earlier this season, will return to ASC East competition Jan. 15 against Mississippi College (11-2, 2-0) in Clinton, Ms., before stopping over in Pineville, La., for a Jan. 17 match up against Louisiana College (4-9, 0-2).

– UTD Sports Information