With under four seconds left in the game, Elijah Bryant made a free throw to ice it for the Indians, whose defense forced a turnover and three missed 3-pointers by the Comets during the final moments. Bryant finished with 14 points, J.R. Williams and Fred Baker had 12 each and Finlay Brashears, 11.
The game featured several scoring trends by both teams. The Comets led by seven at one point in the first half, but the Indians eventually came back and led 42-40 at the intermission. In the second half, UTD led by as many as 10 points only to see McMurry bounce back and regain a 7-point cushion before the Comets mounted another lead of at least six points.
But the Indians were able to make key free throws and get defensive stops down the stretch. McMurry was 31 for 34 overall at the charity stripe for 91.2 percent. The Comets, however, missed six free throws. UTD had one more field goal, and both teams made six treys.
The loss spoiled the performance of UTD's Martin Salinas who poured in 40 points to lead all scorers. He made 12 of 20 from the field, 5 of 10 from 3-point range and 11 of 13 from the free throw line. Kersh Milson added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.