CLARKSVILLE, AR (02.01.20) - UT Dallas men's basketball head coach Terry Butterfield became the newest member of the 500-victory club Saturday afternoon as his Comets earned a 64-60 road win over Ozarks in American Southwest Conference East Division play.

In his 20th season with the Comets and 31st as a collegiate head coach, Butterfield improved to 500-321 all-time after Saturday's victory. Butterfield entered the 2019-20 season ranked No. 18 in NCAA Division III among active coaches and is the current winningest coach in the ASC. Butterfield is 341-194 in his 19-plus seasons at UTD.

The Comets (now 14-5, 8-2 ASC) made Butterfield's milestone victory more dramatic than needed as UTD maintained a double-digit cushion with under four minutes to play, only to hold off the host Eagles with free throws in the final seconds.

Trailing Ozarks, 26-24, at the break, the Comets turned the tables early in the second half when Kolton Pruitt drained a three-pointer with 15:30 left to play to lift UTD to a 34-31 advantage. The host Eagles would regain the lead just two minutes later, 38-37, but UTD would secure the lead for good at the midway point of the half, 46-45, after a jumper by Hunter Stevens.

Stevens bucket would ignite a 14-0 run by the Comets as they extended their lead to as many as 13 points, 58-45, on a lay up by Hans Burwitz just before the final media timeout.

The Eagles clawed back within a single possession with just 20 seconds left when Jacobe Davis capped a late 7-0 run by Ozarks, cutting the Comet lead ot just two points, 60-58. However, Michael Forster would make two perfect trips to the foul line to ice the Comet victory.

The Comets used a balanced scoring attack in the victory as Kelden Pruitt finished with a team-high 12 points, along with nine rebounds and four assists. Forster and Kolton Pruitt each added 11 points as the only other Comets in double figures. Hans Burwitz, the ASC's leading rebounded, snagged a team-high 11 boards.

UTD overcame a season-low 34.4 percent shooting performance from the field, hitting 6-of-22 three-pointers. The Comets were 16-of-24 from the free-throw line.

The Comets, now part of a three-way tie for first-place in the ASC East Division, return home next week for home games against the league's other two leaders. UTD will host LeTourneau at 7:30 p.m. Thursday before facing East Texas Baptist at 3 p.m. Saturday.