Utah Tech women's basketball controlled the momentum in the 85-74 victory over Abilene Christian on Wednesday evening.
What Head Coach JD Gustin said: "Really good team effort tonight. We had six in double figures and I like what we got from our bench. It was a game where we played more man defense than normal and I thought we did solid job with it. We also did a much better job on the boards."
How it happened: Averi Papa sunk a pair of free throws to put the Trailblazers on the board first. Papa was the only Trailblazer to score in the first three minutes and put up five points. Utah Tech then went on an 11-5 run to take a five point lead. UT never gave up the lead in the first quarter and led 25-19 going into the second.
UT never gave up the lead in the second quarter despite a three minute scoring drought by both teams. The Wildcats brought the score within one point but Emily Isaacson drained a three ball to keep things in favor of UT. As the second quarter ended, Utah Tech had a 43-38 lead.
The third quarter started off with intensity. Both teams picked up the pace in the third quarter and the Trailblazers pushed their lead out by 11.
To start the final quarter of action Utah Tech started the quarter out with an 8-3 run to push their lead to 72-60. The Trailblazers controlled the pace and the momentum throughout the rest of the game and eventually went on to claim the 85-74 victory.
Leaders: Utah Tech had six Trailblazers score in double figures and was led by
Breaunna Gillen who had her fifth double double of the season with 21 points and 11 assists.
Papa posted 16 points going 6-9 from the field. Isaacson and Amber Kartchner each put up 14 points while Maggie McCord was hot from beyond the arc with all 12 of her points coming from three point range.
Isaacson led Utah Tech with eight rebounds.
Comparison: Utah Tech ended the game shooting 54 percent from the field, 55 percent from the three and 72 percent from the free throw line. UT totaled 31 rebounds, 18 assists, seven steals and 11 turnovers.
Abilene Christian shot 46 percent from the field, 32 percent from the three and 58 percent from the free throw line. The Wildcats totaled 29 rebounds, 18 assists, one steal and 13 turnovers.
Notes to Know: Utah Tech is now 11-5 on the season and 3-2 in WAC action. Gillen's 11 assists has pushed her over the 300 threshold with 301 total career assists. She has also scored in double figures in all 16 games this season.
Next Up: The Trailblazers will hit the road to take on New Mexico State Saturday, January 14.
