Utah Tech saw another late game rally come up just short as the Trailblazers dropped the second game on their two-game Texas road trip, 81-75, at Abilene Christian on Saturday night inside Moody Coliseum. 

How it happened 
Facing a team that entered the week ranked seventh in the NCAA D-I ranks in turnovers forced, Utah Tech stumbled out of the blocks, turning the ball over six times over the first seven-plus minutes. Those miscues led to eight early ACU points, as the Trailblazers fell into a quick 19-12 hole. 
 
However the Trailblazers would right the ship offensively, hitting three of their seven first-half 3-pointers in a 12-4 run to wrestle the lead away at 24-23.
 
Cameron Gooden got the rally started with a conventional three-point play. Frank Staine followed with a trey, while Noa Gonsalves and Jacob Nicolds drained back-to-back perimeter jumpers to give the Blazers the one-point advantage with 8:21 to play in the period.
 
The two sides then punched and counter punched the rest of the stanza before a Nicolds bucket just before the halftime horn gave Utah Tech a slim 40-38 cushion at the intermission. 
 
UT would quickly stretch its lead to six at 45-39 to open the second half after an Isaiah Pope 3-pointer and a Gooden lay-in.
 
ACU answered with eight-straight points to retake the lead, only to see the Blazers counter consecutive buckets from Staine and Gooden to jump back on top. 
 
Joe Pleasant then tied the game with a jumper, but Gonsalves followed with a 3-pointer to put Utah Tech back up three at 52-49 with 12:27 to go.
 
Unfortunately that would be the final time Utah Tech would enjoy the lead as the Trailblazers were held scoreless over a near four-minute stretch.
 
Meanwhile, ACU guard Ali Abdou Dibba scored 10-straight Wildcat points, six of which came after Blazer turnovers, as Abilene Christian opened up a seven-point advantage at 59-52 with 8:47 left.
 
Pope finally stopped the drought with a lay-in, but the Wildcats kept the momentum going, eventually building their biggest lead of the night at 75-63 with just over four minutes to play.
 
Utah Tech mounted one final charge, scoring 10-unanswered points to pull to within a bucket at 75-73 with 2:21 remaining.
 
Gooden drove the lane for two to start the rally, then picked off a Dibba pass and drove hard to the hoop for another lay-in.
 
Staine then forced another turnover and found a streaking Nicolds, who was fouled on a made bucket in the paint. Nicolds would convert the three-point play to cut the deficit to five.
 
Then after another Trailblazer defensive stop, Gonsalves hit a 3-pointer in front of the UT bench to make it a one-possession game. 
 
ACU halted Utah Tech's newfound momentum with two Damien Daniels free throws, albeit briefly, because on the Blazers' next trip down, Gooden drove the lane and hit a fall-away jumper and drew a foul. The senior then completed the three-point play to draw UT to within a point at 77-76
 
After Dibba answered with a bucket on ACU's ensuing possession to make a three-point game, Utah Tech came up empty on consecutive trips down the court. ACU would hit two free throws with 8.9 seconds left to extend to a two-possession lead and escaped with the home court win.  
 
Numbers to know
Gooden led all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. It marked the fourth time this season that the senior scored 20 or more points, while his 26 points on Saturday were three shy of his career high of 29 set earlier this season at Utah State (12/1).
 
Gonsalves knocked down 4-of-8 from 3-point country on his way to 16 points, while Nicolds added 10 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds. 
 
Utah Tech lost despite shooting 51.0 percent (26-of-51) from the floor, including an 11-of-23 effort (.478) from beyond the arc. However UT managed to go just 13-of-20 (.650) from the line.

The Trailblazers were also hindered by 19 turnovers, which led to 24 ACU points, with 11 of those miscues coming in the second half. 
 
UT was also whistled for 27 fouls and had four players foul out, which is the most in the program's NCAA D-I transition. 
 
For just the second time in the program's NCAA era, Utah Tech held an opponent without a 3-point field goal as ACU went 0-of-6 from the perimeter. The last time that happened came at home during 2020-21 season against Saint Katherine (0-of-18; 12/5/2020). 
 
Dibba paced four Wildcats in double figures with 19 points, while Daniels and Leonardo Bettiol finished with 17 points apiece. 
 
ACU shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the floor on the night and went 27-of-32 (.844) from the foul line. The Wildcats also outrebounded Utah Tech by a 37-26 margin, including a 12-5 count on the offensive glass. 
 
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 this Thursday night. Tip-off is slate for 7 p.m.