AUSTIN, Texas – After falling behind, the Concordia Texas women's basketball team mounted a fourth-quarter comeback, but that comeback effort came up short short as they fell 60-48 to UT Dallas on Saturday.
 
The Tornados outscored the Comets 17-10 in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to overcome the deficit they entered the period with, ending the day with a loss despite a strong effort down the stretch.
 
Erin Toro led the way for the Tornados, recording a career-high 14 points to go along with five rebounds and a steal on the defensive end. Toro did most of her work at the charity stripe, shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the line.
 
Toro notched the first basket of the game, and Mikayla Johnson followed with a three-pointer to give the Tornados a quick 5-0 lead with 8:46 left to play.
 
An Allie Garza three-pointer and an and-one three-point play from Falyn Taylor kept the Tornados' offense going, and after the first quarter, CTX was within striking distance trailing 16-15.
 
Toro scored four points in the second period, but that was all the Tornados' offense could offer, and they ended the first half trailing the Comets 33-19.
 
In the second half, two free throws from Toro and a three-ball from Jennika Willis brought the Tornados within 13, cutting the Comets' lead to 37-24 with 7:34 remaining in the third quarter.
 
However, UTD followed this with a 9-0 run, extending their lead back out to 22 before a jumper from Zakari Perry halted their run, and the Tornados trailed 46-26 with five minutes to go in the quarter.
 
After this, Chelsea Cogborn and Allie Garza knocked down a pair of jumpers, but CTX trailed 50-31 entering the final quarter.
 
Johnson started the fourth quarter scoring with her second three-pointer of the game, and back-to-back jumpers from Havyn Perez and Falyn Taylor cut the UTD lead to 53-38 with 6:05 left to play.
 
Free throws from Toro and Perez kept the Tornados' run going and reduced the Comets' lead to 53-44 with 4:34 on the clock, putting CTX within single digits for the first time since the second quarter.
 
In the final four and a half minutes, the Comets recovered, and the Tornados' comeback effort ultimately fell short as they suffered a 60-48 defeat.
 
Johnson ended the game with seven points thanks to a pair of long-range buckets, and Natalie Velardez hit the glass for nine rebounds and picked up three steals on the defensive end.
 
The Tornados will look to bounce back with a quick turnaround, finishing their weekend home stand as they host LeTourneau for an ASC matchup at Concordia Fieldhouse at 1 p.m.