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OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (10-11/2-6 WAC) wraps up the first half of its 2022-23 WAC slate on Saturday night with a road date at Abilene Christian (10-11/2-6 WAC). Tip-off inside the Teague Center (2,500) in Abilene is set for 6 p.m. (CT). 
 
UTAH TECH VS. ACU: Utah Tech (0-2 vs. ACU) enters Saturday's game looking for its first win vs. Abilene Christian after the Wildcats swept the season series last year, including an 80-64 triumph in Abilene (3/3/22). ACU also spoiled the Trailblazers' New Year's Day festivities with a 64-50 road win inside the Burns Arena. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Despite a furious second half comeback, Utah Tech lost for the sixth time in its last seven outings after a 74-72 road decision at Tarleton last Thursday night. 
            UT trailed 50-28 at the halftime break, thanks in part to a cold-shooting first half (6-of-25; .240) and 11 turnovers. 
            The Trailblazers managed to flip the script in the second half, outscoring the Texans by 20 points in the period, and made it a two-possession game late. However UT could not wrestle the lead away as the Blazers fell to 0-4 on the road in WAC play. 
 
HI MY NAME IS...: The Trailblazers began the 2022-23 season with a new institutional name - Utah Tech University. 
            This past July 1, the university re-branded to the new moniker, replacing "Dixie State University," while the "Trailblazers" nickname remained in place. 
 
NEW RADIO HOME OF UT ATHLETICS: 
            Along with the new name, Utah Tech University Athletics announced in July a new five-year multimedia agreement with Canyon Media Corporation. 
            Beginning this fall through the 2026-27 season, all Trailblazer football and men's basketball games, including comprehensive pregame and post game coverage, will be broadcast live on The Fan Sports Network (99.5/95.3 FM in St. George; 93.1 FM/1400 AM in Cedar City).
            The agreement will also feature select coverage of several other Trailblazer Athletic events throughout the year.
 
AND A NEW VOICE: In conjunction of the new radio home announcement, longtime Utah sportscaster Rod Zundel was introduced as director of broadcasting and multimedia content for Trailblazer Athletics, and will serve as the new radio voice for football and men's basketball.
            Along with complete radio coverage, Zundel will host "The Jon Judkins Coaches Show" every Tuesday night on The Fan Sports Network at 6 p.m. He will also oversee the production of several weekly Trailblazer student-athlete, coach and team online video feature stories, along with other digital content throughout the year. 
            Joining Zundel court side at home and select road games this season will be former UT assistant coach and current athletic administrator Mike Olson. 
 
CHALK UP ANOTHER MILESTONE WIN FOR COACH...: Head Coach Jon Judkins earned his 600th career coaching victory in last Saturday's home triumph over New Mexico State, one of many career milestones the longtime Trailblazer mentor has passed over the last couple of years. 
            Last season, he became the all-time winningest head coach in Utah collegiate basketball history last season with career victory No. 583 in UT's 114-49 home rout of SAGU-AIC (12/15/21).
            Judkins moved past legendary Utah head women's basketball coach Elaine Elliott (582-324) atop the state's all-time coaching victories list (men's and women's). That list also includes a pair of former Utah Tech (then Dixie State) coaches in Dave Rose (1990-97 before moving on to BYU) and Stan Watts (1941-45 before moving on to Utah), along with such names at Stew Morrill (Utah State) and Rick Majerus (Utah). 
            Judkins currently owns a 600-303 (.664) overall record during his time at both Utah Tech and Snow (UT) College (1992-2005; 284-128).
            Coach Judkins became the first men's coach in Utah collegiate basketball history to reach the 500-win plateau when UT defeated Hawai'i Hilo (81-72) back on January 28, 2017.
            Coach Judkins is currently 316-175 (.643) in 17-plus years at Utah Tech, and he now stands four wins away from his 300th NCAA era victory at UT (296-163; .645).
 
...AND A NEW CONTRACT EXTENSION: Utah Tech and Coach Judkins agreed to a five-year contract extension this past September that will keep the longtime Trailblazer mentor on the Burns Arena sidelines through the 2026-27 season. 
            Along with all the victories, conference championships and NCAA D-II Tournament appearances, Judkins has coached 44 all-conference selections, including 19 first team honorees, and two conference players of the year (Trevor Hill – PacWest 2017-18, Jack Pagenkopf – RMAC, 2019-20). In addition, he has had seven players collect all-region recognition, and two players – Zach Robbins (2014-15 D-II Bulletin Honorable Mention) and Hill (2017-18 NABC First Team) go on to earn All-America honors.  
            Meanwhile in the classroom, Judkins has had a combined 120 student-athletes earn academic all-conference recognition since 2009-10, with three of those student-athletes – Josh Fuller (2016-17 second team), Brandon Simister (2017-18 second team) and Hunter Schofield (2020-21 second team/2021-22 first team) garner CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Since joining the NCAA ranks in 2006-07, Utah Tech has played to a 157-44 (.781) overall record in the Burns Arena under Head CoachJon Judkins, which includes a 7-2 start to the 2022-23 campaign, 
            Last season Utah Tech played to a 10-6 home mark, which clinched the Trailblazers' ninth 10-plus win home season in its NCAA era, and the first as a newly-minted D-I program.              
            The Blazers went 5-7 in their Division-I debut season in 2020-21, this after UT posted a 12-2 record in its final D-II year in 2019-20. That 2020-21 record snapped a 13-year streak that saw Utah Tech finish above .500 at home. The last time the program did not finish with a home winning record was UT's first NCAA season in 2006-07, when the Blazers finished with a 2-5 home mark.  
            Utah Tech posted a perfect 12-0 record at home in 2009-10, and 11-1 records in consecutive seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17. 
 
HOW ABOUT WHEN THE BAGS ARE PACKED?: Utah Tech fell to 140-120 (.538) in 260 games away from home in its NCAA era under Coach Judkinsfollowing its loss at Tarleton last Thursday night. That mark includes a 111-98 record (.531) in true road games, and a 29-22 mark (.568) in neutral site games during Judkins' tenure. 
            Utah Tech has already matched its away from home win total from last season (3-9 overall), when UT played to a 3-12 (3-11 in true road games) record in 2021-22, which included a five-game skid to close out the year. 
            UT finished the 2020-21 campaign with a 3-6 overall road mark, which snapped an 11-year run that saw the program post a winning road record. The last time Utah Tech did not come away with a winning road record was all the way back in the 2007-08 season, when it went 4-11 away from home in the program's second year of Division-II competition. 
            UT has won eight or more games away from home in 11 of its previous 16 NCAA campaigns overall, including a program best 15-5 record (10-2 in road contests) in 2010-11. 
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 162-straight games, which included 11 made threes in the NM State win last Saturday, and a season-high 14 treys vs. Lindenwood (12/22). The 14 treys vs. Lindenwood were the third-most in a single game in the program's NCAA era. 
            Last season, the Trailblazers nailed a school-record 21 treys in its 114-49 blowout win over SAGU-American Indian College (12/15/21).
            That record was one of five 3FG school records to fall that night as the Blazers also broke records for first half 3FGM (10), second half 3FGM (11), and for 3FG attempted (37). In addition, 11 different Trailblazers hit at least one 3-pointer, which was another school record.
            UT has reached double figures in made 3-pointers seven times though 21 games this season, this after doing it only four times last year.
            In all, Utah Tech has hit at least one three pointer in 363 of its last 365 games overall, and in 457 of the program's 461 NCAA-era games, which began in the 2006-07 season, with 29 total games of at least 10 3FGM.
 
RELEASE...ROTATION...SPLASH: Utah Tech has attempted 20 or more 3-pointers 15 times this season, including a season-high 32 at Arizona (11/17), and 23 more at Tarleton (8-of-23) last Thursday night.  
            The Trailblazers enter this weekend's trip to Texas ranked third in the WAC in 3FG% (171-of-456; .375) and fourth 3FGM/game (8.5). 
            UT took 20 for more 3-pointers 23 times last season, including a WAC season-high 31 3FGA (12-of-31; .387) vs. Utah Valley (2/19). In fact, UT broke the school record for attempted 3-pointers with 698 in 31 total games last season, which bested the previous record of 565 set in 30 games during the 2019-20 season.
            Meanwhile, UT also broke its single season 3FG made record last year with 219 makes (219-of-565; .387), eclipsing the previous record of 205 also set in the 2019-20 campaign. 
 
SEEING 20/20/20: For the first time since beginning its Division I transition, and for the third time in the program's NCAA era, Utah Tech had three players score at least 20 points in the road loss at GCU back on Jan. 18.
            Junior guard Isaiah Pope led the way with a career-high tying 25 points, while junior forward Frank Staine poured in a career-best 21 points. Sophomore forward Tanner Christensen also got into the act as he matched Staine with 21 points of his own. 
            Utah Tech achieved that feat two other times during its Division II run, the first coming at home in a 93-91 win over Chaminade (2/12/15), when DeQuan Thompson (22 pts), Mason Sawyer (21 pts) and former All-American Zach Robbins (20 pts) led the Blazers to victory.
            Fast forward nearly two years later when former All-American Trevor Hill (25 pts), Brandon Simister (23 pts) and Kyler Nielson (20 pts) did it in a narrow overtime loss at Azusa Pacific (104-103; 12/10/16). 
            Utah Tech has also had 24 instances during its NCAA of two players scoring 20 of more points in one game, including last Saturday's win vs. New Mexico State. Prior to last Saturday, the last occurrence came during the 2020-21 season against, coincidentally, Grand Canyon (1/22/21). 
 
POPE ALSO SEEING 20/20....AND 20: Pope is currently enjoying the most dominant three-game stretch as a Trailblazer, a stretch that has seen the junior average 25.0 points on 53.8 percent shooting (21-of-39), including an even 60.0 percent clip (9-of-15) from the perimeter. He has also gone to the line 30 times (24-of-30; .800) and has averaged 4.0 assists. 
            Pope led the Blazer comeback at Tarleton on Thursday night when he scored 19 of his game and career-high 27 points in the second half. He went 8-of-13 from the floor with a season-high five 3-pointers (5-of-7 3FG), and became the fourth different Trailblazer to hit five 3-pointers in a game this season, and he was 6-of-7 at the foul line. 
            That effort nearly matched his performance one week earlier at GCU, where he tallied 17 of his then career-high tying 25 points in the second half at GCU to help keep the Blazers within striking distance. Pope shot 6-of-12 from the floor and knocked down 11-of-14 at the foul line, both of which were career highs from the charity stripe.
            The junior then followed that up with 23 more points on 7-of-14 from the floor and 7-of-9 at the line in last Saturday's win over NM State. Pope also dished out a career-high eight assists and pulled down five rebounds for good measure.  
            The junior is averaging a team best 17.0 ppg in WAC play this season and has scored in double figures in six of UT's eight conference games overall.
            Pope was inserted into the starting lineup 16 games ago in North Dakota and responded with 12 points against both UND (11/25) and Cal State Fullerton (11/26). He has now scored in double figures in 15 of 21 games to this point of the season, and is averaging 15.1 ppg since moving into the starting lineup. 
 
POPE IN RARE COMPANY: Pope became just the sixth Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to score 20 or more points in at least three-straight games.
            His former teammate, Hunter Schofield, was the last to do it when he rattled off a four-game streak last season (1/15-29/2022), and he also posted a three-game streak during the 2019-20 campaign. 
            Former Blazer big man and former assistant coach Kasey Winters was the first to do it back in the 2007-08 season, while former UT swingman Tom Whitehead did it in both the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons. Former guard Trevor Hill placed his name on the list thanks pair 30-point games in during his All-American campaign in 2017-18, as did Matt Conway in the 2018-19 season. 
 
IT'S GOOD(EN) TO HAVE YOU BACK: After missing the last five games due to injury, senior guard Cameron Gooden picked up right where he left off in last Saturday's win vs. NM State, torching the Aggies for 17 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
            Gooden knocked down 5-of-9 field goal attempts with three 3-pointers, all of which came in a personal 10-4 run that turned a 57-43 UT lead into a 20-point cushion at 67-47 midway through the second half. 
            The senior returned to the starting line-up at Tarleton last Thursday and poured in 10 points before doing something he had never done in his previous 67 games over two-plus seasons as a Trailblazer - he fouled out, doing so midway through the second half. 
            Despite missing those five games, Gooden still leads the team in both scoring (15.3 ppg) and assists (3.4 apg). He has led or co-led the Blazers in scoring eight times and has scored in double figures in 13 of 16 games overall, highlighted by a career-high 29 points on 9-of-16 shooting (5-of-7 3FG) at Utah State back on Dec. 1.
            Gooden scored 20 of those 29 points in the first half at USU, and he finished with five assists and three rebounds, while his nine made field goals and five 3-pointers also tied career highs. The senior's career night marked the third time in his last five starts that he tallied 20 or more points, which included his previous career high of 27 in UT's road win at Idaho (11/19).
            Gooden averaged 14.2 points on 47.9 percent shooting (23-of-48) during UT's Holiday homestand, which included game-highs of 19 points in the Chapman win (12/9), and 17 points vs. Westmont (12/19) ... the senior also tallied 13 points and dished out a season-high seven assists (with no turnovers) in the Lindenwood win (12/22). 
            Gooden has scored in double figures in 46 of his 68 career games with 10 20-plus point outings, and has led the team in scoring 36 times overall. Gooden (878 pts) also moved into 10th place on UT's career points list in the NM State win last Saturday night. The senior is already in seventh place on UT's career scoring list (12.91 ppg) and steals (86), and is eighth in career assists (234).
 
GOING...GOING...GONSALVES: Sophomore guard Noa Gonsalves had a night in last Saturday's win over NM State, going off for a career-high 24 points, along with four rebounds and three assists in a game high 38-plus minutes. 
            The sophomore sharpshooter connected on 7-of-12 from the floor with a career-high tying five 3-pointers (5-of-9 3FG), which marked the third time this season that Gonsalves had knocked down five treys in a game.
            Gonsalves' 24 points eclipsed his previous career high of 19 points set against both vs. Lindenwood (12/22) and Chapman (12/9) last month. In the Lindenwood win, he drilled his first five 3-point attempts (5-of-6 3FG) and pulled down four rebounds. 
            That effort virtually matched his night vs. Chapman, against which he scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a 5-of-8 effort from the perimeter. That night the sophomore became the 16th different Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to hit at least five 3-pointers in one game. 
            Gonsalves' previous career high scoring game came earlier this season in a 15-point night at Utah State (12/1), and he has scored in double figures in nine of his 21 starts overall to this point of the season.
 
STAINE MOVING UP THE CHARTS: Like Pope, Staine also had a solid second half at GCU (1/18), scoring 13 of his career-high 21 points after halftime with three made 3-pointers. The junior's previous career high was 20 points, which he hit twice, the last coming just over three years ago vs. UC-Colorado Springs (1/3/20).
            Staine, who was playing in his 100th-career game, hit on 7-of-11 from the floor, including a red-hot 5-of-8 from the perimeter. He became the third different Trailblazer to drain five 3-pointers in a game this season
            The junior's night also help propel him into ninth place on UT's career points list (880), while he is currently t-third in career 3FG made (132) and fifth in career steals (102). 
            In addition, Staine is ranked second in career 3FGA (368), ninth in career 3FG% (.3587), and is currently four starts shy of becoming UT's career leader in starts (88). 
 
SEND IT IN BIG FELLA: Christensen scored 16 of his 21 points at GCU (1/18) in the first half, which helped keep Utah Tech in the game. For Christensen, it was his eighth double-digit scoring night and his third 20-point game of the season.
            His 21 points at GCU were the most since he scored 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go with eight rebounds and five assists in UT's road win at Weber State (12/3). Christensen also threw down three dunks on the Wildcats, and had another at Tarleton last Thursday, and now has a team high 20 dunks on the season.
            The sophomore also posted his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds at Tarleton, which was his second road WAC double-double of the year. His first came at CBU (1/5), where he racked up game highs of 17 points and 14 rebounds. His 14 boards were a career high and also the most by a Trailblazer player in the program's new NCAA D-I era, and he also blocked one shot at CBU, all while not committing a personal foul.   
            Meanwhile, his first double-double of the year came away from home in UT's 66-60 neutral court win vs. Cal State Fullerton (11/26), going for 13 points and 10 boards. 
            Christensen put on a show at Washington (11/14), going for a game and UT career-high 26 points in nearly 35 minutes. The sophomore scored UT's first eight points and had 16 of the team's 25 points as Blazers' opened up a 25-17 lead 12-plus minutes into the first half. Christensen, who hails from Spokane Valley, Wash., finished the night 11-of-17 from the floor with four rebounds and three assists in his return to his home state.
 
NICOLDS IS RED-HOT: Senior forward Jacob Nicolds had a career night in the UTRGV win (12/29) as he poured in a career-high 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Nicolds knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and went 4-of-4 at the line, and just missed his second career double-double as he finished with nine rebounds. 
            Nicolds also tallied 15 points and six boards at Tarleton last Thursday, and in the process vaulted into solo seventh place on UT's career rebounding list (388). In addition, the senior is currently seventh in career FG% (.534).
            Like Pope, Nicolds has also started in UT's last 16 games and has averaged 10.1 ppg in those outings, including 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting at CBU (1/5), which included a career-high four made 3-pointers (4-of-6 3FG). 
            In fact, Nicolds has had the hot shooting touch over his last 15 starts, having hit on 53 of his 81 (.654) shot attempts (19-of-33 3FG; .575) and 34-of-48 (.708) at the foul line, including a perfect 5-of-5 (3-of-3 3FG) from the floor, and he hit his lone FT attempt en route to 14 points vs. The Master's (12-17).
            Nicolds was also a perfect 5-of-5 with a 3-pointer for 11 points in the CSUF victory (11/26), and went 3-for-3 with a trey and 4-of-4 at the foul line for 11 points in road win at Weber State (12/3). 
 
BLAZING TRAILS:
* - Sophomore guard Hagen Wright had a breakout game in the home loss to SFA (1/12) as he poured in a career-high 14 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting with three 3-pointers, including a big corner three with 5:26 to play that cut the Lumberjack lead to 69-63 ... Wright's night eclipsed his previous career high of nine points vs. The Master's (12/17) last month. 
* - Senior forward Dancell Leter also had the hot hand off the bench in the SFA loss as he hit on 5-of-6 of his attempts en route to a WAC season high 12 points.
* - Leter came within one point of his second career double-double as he tallied nine points and a career-best 13 rebounds in the UTRGV win (12/29) ... Leter's 13 caroms bested his previous career high of 11 set at Chicago State last season (1/29/22), which is where he recorded his first UT double-double (13 pts).
* - Leter tied his career high with 17 points off the bench at Utah State (12/1), with 13 of those points coming after halftime ... Leter went 5-of-6 from the floor and 6-of-8 at the foul line, and added four boards, three assists and two steals to his final stat line.
* - Leter's 17 points at USU were the most he has scored on the road in his year-plus as a Trailblazer, and matched his career high of 17 he scored in last year's home game vs. Weber State (11/27/21).
* - Utah Tech shot a season-best 54.8 percent (23-of-42) from the floor in the SFA loss (1/12) ... that effort eclipsed the previous season best 54.1 percent (40-of-74) from the floor in the Chapman win (12/9), which followed up a 52.0 percent (26-of-50) effort a week earlier at Weber State (12/3).
* - UT then made it three-straight games by shooting 53.3 percent (32-of-60 vs. The Master's (12/17), which marked the first time in the program's brief D-I era that the Blazers have shot better than 50 percent in three consecutive games. 
* - The last time Utah Tech shot north of 50 percent in three-straight games was during the 2019-20 season when the Blazers did it in four-straight games (2/22-3/6/20). 
* - Utah Tech posted season highs of 52 points and 64.5 percent shooting (20-of-31) in the first half vs. Lindenwood (12/22) ... UT shot 52.4 percent (33-of-63) for the game.
* - Since the 2016-17 season, Utah Tech has shot 50 percent or better in just 57 of its last 183 games overall, though the Trailblazers have done it eight times through 20 games this season, including an even 52.0 percent clip (26-of-50) in the NM State win last Saturday.
* - In fact, the Blazers shot better than 50 percent only four times in 31 games last season. 
* - Also dating back to the 2016-17 season, Utah Tech has had 81 of its last 186 games decided by nine points or less, including 23 of 73 games to this point of the program's Division I transition.
* - Utah Tech's 42-point victory vs. The Master's (12/17) was the sixth-largest margin of victory in the program's NCAA era, and is the second-largest during its Division-I transition .. that winning margin eclipsed the previous season-best of 41 points, which was set eight days earlier in the home win over Chapman by nearly the exact same score (99-58; 12/9/22). 
* - The Trailblazers' 100 points vs. The Master's were the most this season and marked the first time UT had hit the century mark in points in just over one calendar year ... UT scored 114 points in a home win over SAGU-American Indian College (114-49; 12/15/21). 
* - Utah Tech dished out a season-high 24 assists on its 40 made field goals in the Chapman (12/9), which are the most helpers recorded since UT racked up 25 dimes in game one vs. Bethesda last season (11/30/21) ... UT also collected 22 assists on its 33 made baskets vs. Lindenwood (12/22).
* - The Blazer defense also picked off a season best 16 steals vs. Chapman (12/9), which is the fourth-most in a single game in the program's NCAA era, and two shy of the school record of 18 set in game two vs. Bethesda last season (12/1/21). 
* - After being outrebounded in its first two games of the season, Utah Tech has won the rebounding battle in 15 of its last 19 games, highlighted by a decisive 38-25 rebounding margin at Washington (11/14), which included a 15-4 edge on the offensive glass ... UT also outrebounded Chapman by a 42-28 count (15-5 offense), and posted a season best +23 rebounding margin (51-28) in the UTRGV win (12/29).
* - In fact, Utah Tech's 51 rebounds vs. UTRGV were a season high and the most since the Blazers pulled down 52 rebounds against, coincidentally, UTRGV last season (1/22/22).
* - Last season the Trailblazers won the "Battle of the Boards" in 15 of 31 games (10-5), this after they were outrebounded 12 times in 21 games in their D-1 debut in 2020-21 ... overall, Utah Tech has outrebounded an opponent in 105 of its last 159 games going back to the 2017-18 campaign. 
 
ABOUT THE ABILENE CHRISTIAN "WILDCATS": ACU enters play on Saturday with matching 10-11 overall and 2-6 WAC records. The Wildcats have lost five of their last six and are coming off a hardfought 75-73 home loss to GCU last Thursday night.
            Redshirt senior guard Immanuel Allen (6-4) is one of two Wildcats averaging double figures at 11.5 ppg on 51.4 percent shooting, while graduate guard Tobias Cameron (6-5) is scoring at a 10.4 ppg clip while shooting 54.7 percent from the floor. 
 
UP NEXT: Utah Tech will play three of its next four games at home, starting with the first of back-to-back showdowns against in-state foes as the Blazers welcome Utah Valley to the Burns Arena next Thursday. Tip-off is slate for 7 p.m.