(Youngstown, Ohio – Nov. 17, 2023) Utah Tech men's basketball played Friday night, falling 75-68 to the Penguins of Youngstown State, moving the team's 2023 record to 1-2 with a matchup against Lake Erie College slated for tomorrow afternoon.
 
"Our guys wanted it but Youngstown was really aggressive and we kind of backed down a little. We made our run when we started driving hard, getting to the basket but they're a really good team," Head Coach Jon Judkins said. "The guys didn't quit, they just kept fighting, and I loved that in them but we're not good enough to just flip the switch… we've got to do the little things to win on the road."
 
Neither team shot particularly well early in the game, as the Penguins held just a 5-0 advantage at the first media timeout with the teams shooting a combined 2-15 from the field. Beon Riley would score the Trailblazers' first basket of the game with a layup at 15:14, but the Penguins started to find a groove offensively, using a 12-4 run out of the under-16 media timeout to build a 16-5 lead.
 
Aric Demings would hit a pair of layups before two Riley free throws and a Noa Gonsalves step-back jumper capped a quick 8-0 run that cut the deficit to a single point with 8:42 remaining in the first half. The Penguins would respond, however, and take a 34-26 advantage into the halftime break.
 
After Gonsalves splashed a shot from deep on the first possession of the second half it would be the Jaylen Searles show, as the Everett, Wash., native scored eight-straight points that included back-to-back triples that brought Utah Tech within four points at 37-41 with 16:12 remaining in the half.
 
Both teams would continue to trad buckets but a deep triple from David Elliott brought the game within two points at 12:55 to go. The hosts would use a big run down in the next few minutes, out-scoring Utah Tech 14-4 to take a 63-52 lead with 6:47 remaining that proved insurmountable, as the Trailblazers' late game efforts weren't enough as the game went final in favor of Youngstown State.
 
Gonsalves finished with 17 points on 7-11 shooting, connecting on three of his seven attempts from deep. Tanner Christensen scored 16 points while adding 10 rebounds, two assists and a career-high four blocks, while Searles' 12 points was paired with four rebounds, one block and a steal. Elliott led the bench with six points while Demings finished with five points, four rebounds and four assists; Beon Riley grabbed a season-high seven rebounds to go with four points and two assists.
 
Caleb Stearman recorded four points, three rebounds and one blocked shot in a season-high seven minutes off the bench while Trey Hall made his Trailblazer debut, playing two minutes.

Utah Tech as a team finished 25-62 (40.3%) from the field, shooting 8-20 (40.0%) from deep and hitting 10 shots at the line. The battle on the glass was a close one, with the hosts holding a slight advantage at 41-39 while the team assisted on 14 of those 25 buckets.
 
With four steals and seven blocks, UT scored 12 points off turnovers and 28 points in the paint.
 
The Trailblazers return to action in less than 24 hours, facing Lake Erie College tomorrow afternoon.