Who | Utah Tech (0-1) at Jacksonville State (1-0)
When | Saturday, Nov. 11 – 1 p.m. MT
Where | Pete Mathews Coliseum – Jacksonville, Ala.
Broadcast | ESPN+ / 93.1 FM Patriot Radio
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UniteTheFamily / #IntoTheStorm
 
Scouting the Gamecocks:
The Gamecocks defeated NAIA-side Brescia on Tuesday, winning 91-41 at home. With an offense led by Travis Roberts and Caleb Johnson's 12 points apiece, five different players finished in double-figures for scoring while Andres Burney led the team with nine boards and two blocks.
 
As a team, Jacksonville State shot over 50% in the game while finding ways to get to the line frequently, hitting 25-29 from the charity stripe in a season-opening victory.
 
Bench Explosion
David Elliott started off his season with a bang, scoring 24 points against Santa Clara on Thursday while also adding six rebounds, one assist, and four steals. The Los Angeles, Calif., native came within one point of his career-high for points, having poured in 25 against Butler Community College last season while playing for the Garden City Broncbusters.
 
Elliott is no stranger to the Santa Clara Broncos either, having played his freshman season at fellow West Coast Conference team, Loyola Marymount.
 
Posterizer
This past offseason saw Trailblazer post Tanner Christensen shed some weight, and that lighter frame showed itself early in the second half of Thursday's game. With 14:04 on the clock, Christensen received a bounce pass from Elliott on the far block and went up strongly with two hands, finishing over the 6-7 Adama-Alpha Bal to cut the deficit to single digits.
 
Now in his second year at Utah Tech, Christensen finished with six points, seven rebounds and two steals against Santa Clara.
 
Running
There were two runs that played a key role in Utah Tech's close loss against SCU, both at opposite ends of the game. After winning the opening tipoff, UT raced out to a quick 7-0 lead that prompted a Herb Sendek timeout just 71 seconds into the game. After the Broncos battled back and took a large lead in the second period of play, Utah Tech would use a 13-0 run from 7:50 until the 5:50 mark in the second half to bring the game within six points. Elliott (eight) and Jaylen Searles (five) fueled the late-game offensive explosion.
 
27-Plus
The Trailblazer starters were relied upon heavily in Thursday's game, with all five guys playing at least 27 minutes. Noa Gonsalves 37 minutes of action led the team and he was joined by Aric Demings in the 30-plus minute club; Searles (28), Beon Riley (28) and Christensen (27) rounded out the starting five.
 
Scoring Early
Demings started in his first collegiate appearance against Santa Clara, finishing with a line of 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal while shooting 6-14 (42.9%) from the field and 2-4 (50%) from deep. He scored his first collegiate points on a triple with 11:05 to play in the first half, bringing Utah Tech within one point of the lead.
 
Fellow freshman Tennessee Rainwater also earned his first collegiate action in the opener, playing nine minutes off the Utah Tech bench. Like Demings, the Davenport, Wash., native found himself on the scoreboard with his first collegiate points during the first half, converting an and-one with 48 seconds in the half.

Free Throws
Utah Tech found its way to the free throw line early and often against the Broncos, attempting 24 shots at the line. When compared with last year's team that averaged 16.8 attempts per game, it's a 42% increase early in the season.
 
Unite The Family
Trailblazer men's basketball was active in the community this offseason, regularly visiting local elementary schools while completing service projects that included picking up trash at a local reservoir and passing out snacks and water during the 2023 St. George Marathon. Though all of these examples are things the team has done in the past, this year's service all centered around the idea of "Uniting the Family," which is the new program mantra that was announced on Sept. 29.
 
"Part of it is about coming together as a team to accomplish the same goals, but it's also about sacrifice, service, humility, those kinds of things," Head Coach Jon Judkins said. "Seeking opportunity to unite and being the best version of yourself in order to improve the strength of your family… What can we do to strengthen our family, strengthen our team and strengthen the community?"
 
A Long Road Trip
Utah Tech opens its 2023-24 campaign by spending the entire month of November out on the road, playing six different teams in six different venues that aren't Burns Arena. After facing Jacksonville State on Saturday, the team faces Youngstown State (Nov. 17, 4:30 p.m.), Lake Erie College (Nov. 18, 12 p.m.), Washington State (Nov. 24, 2 p.m.) and Lindenwood (Nov. 27, 6 p.m.) on the road.
 
Trailblazer men's basketball will open up its home slate with a conference game against Utah Valley on the first weekend of December, hosting the Wolverines at 7 p.m. on Dec. 2.