Utah Tech women's basketball ended non-conference action on Wednesday afternoon with an 82-68 win over Lindenwood.
What head coach JD Gustin said: I am super proud of our team for grinding this win out. It was tough playing back to back days, especially after a physical game yesterday. We really struggled communicating defensively in the first half but got better in the second and overall I thought we did a good job of celebrating the plays we made.To finish the non-conference schedule at 8-3 with the adversity we've had is a solid accomplishment for our players and coaches. We look forward to getting WAC play started after the holidays.
How it happened: Lindenwood started with an early 6-0 lead over the Trailblazers. UT's cold streak was broken by made jumper by
Breaunna Gillen and
Maggie McCord followed that up with a made three pointer. That UT scoring sequence sparked a 12-4 run. At the end of the first quarter things were all tied up at 23-23.
UT started the second quarter with an 11-2 run and held Lindenwood scoreless for four minutes. The Trailblazers ended up leading 40-34 at the half.
Utah Tech started the second half on a 7-0 run and pushed their lead out to 13 points. Lindenwood then capitalized on UT's turnovers to go on an 8-0 run to bring the score within five. Averi Papa sunk a three pointer to break the Trailblazers scoring drought and spark a 13-4 run to propel Utah Tech to a 60-49 lead going into the final quarter of play.
The Trailblazers maintained momentum in the fourth quarter sustaining a double digit lead for its entirety. Utah Tech powered on for a ?? victory over Lindenwood.
Leaders: Utah Tech had four Trailblazers score in double figures and was led by McCord and
Amber Kartchner who each had 19 points. Gillen posted a double double with 12 points and 13 assists.
Emily Isaacson posted double figures with 11 points and Averi Papa also added 11 for the Trailblazers.
McCord led UT with five rebounds on the afternoon.
Comparison: Utah Tech ended the game shooting 54 percent from the field,34 percent from the three and 60 percent from the free throw line. UT totaled 29 rebounds, 21 assists, nine steals and 17 turnovers.
Lindenwood shot 45 percent from the field, 21 percent from the three and 69 percent from the free throw line. The Lions totaled 36 rebounds, 22 assists, eight steals and 21 turnovers.
Notes to Know: Utah Tech is now 8-3 on the season. Gillen's 13 assists ties her own record for most assists in a single game. This is also Gillen's fourth double double of the season.
Next Up: The Trailblazers will start WAC action with a pair of in-state rivalry games. First, Utah Tech will take on Southern Utah in Cedar City before taking on Utah Valley at home in the Burns Arena.
