RICHARDSON, TX (02.28.14) - The No. 20-ranked UT Dallas men's basketball used 10 first-half three-pointers to grab a 20-point halftime lead en route to an 80-65 win over East Texas Baptist in the opening round of the American Southwest Conference Tournament, held at the UTD Activity Center.

Senior forward Dmitriy Chernikov recorded his first career "double-double" as he poured in a game-high 21 points and added a career-high 11 rebounds as UTD advances to the ASC semifinals for the sixth straight season. The Comets will face rival Texas-Tyler at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Comets (now 23-3) shot 50 percent from the field and ended the night 12-of-27 (44.4%) from three-point range as the bounced back from a loss in their regular-season finale last Saturday. Chernikov led five UTD players in double figures with Chris McOmber adding 19 points, Matthew Medell and Ryan Smith each with 12 points and Kyle Schleigh finished with 10 points.

After a slow start, UTD started to find its stride with just under 14 minutes left in the opening half when McOmber drained a three-pointer to lift the Comets to a 12-8 lead. The Comets used the momentum to extend their lead to double digits for the first time, 26-14, with 10:28 left in the half on a Nolan Harvey trey. UTD was 10-for-18 from beyond the arc in the opening half, getting long shots from five different players, including four from Smith as he scored all of his points before the break. Smith's final three of the half came with 27 seconds left as he lifted UTD to a 46-26 halftime lead.

The Comets widened their lead to as many as 26 points early in the second half before ETBU would mount a comeback attempt. With UTD up 63-37 with 13:50 remaining, the Tigers rallied with a 20-9 run over the next nine minutes to draw within 15 points, 72-57, after an Arron Holms layup. But ETBU would get no closer as the Comets match the eighth-seed blow-for-blow down the stretch.

UTD was 30-of-60 from the field as the Comets continued to prove to be one of the best shooting teams in the ASC. The Comets have now shot 50 percent of greater in 15 of 26 games this season. Chernikov was 8-for-13 from the field, hitting three three-pointers, and added three assists and a pair of blocks as he nearly played the entire contest. McOmber was an efficient 7-for-9 from the floor, hitting his only three-point try, and added four rebounds, two assists and a block. Schleigh, the Comets' leading scorer heading into the tournament, was limited to just two first-points in seven minutes action due to foul trouble. The Comets did not make many trips to the foul line, making just 8-of-13 free shots.

For ETBU (11-15), Jamil Samuel had a team-high 19 points with a game-high 15 rebounds while Erby Thompson finished with 16 points. The Tigers shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field, hitting 7-of-20 three-pointers (35%), and were 8-of-20 (40%) from the free-throw line. ETBU committed just 13 fouls in the contests, including just three in the second half.

In other first round action at the ASC Tournament, second-seeded Hardin-Simmons handled its first-round opponent, however No. 3 seed Mary Hardin-Baylor was not as lucky. HSU knocked off No. 7-seeded Sul Ross State, 88-74, and will play sixth-seeded Louisiana College in Saturday's first semifinal at 1 p.m. LC picked up its first-ever ASC tournament victory, upsetting UMHB, 81-71, in Friday's first game. No. 5 seed Texas-Tyler also nabbed its first-ever ASC Tournament win, downing fourth-seeded Concordia Texas, 104-86. Sunday's ASC title game is set for 2 p.m.