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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech wraps up the out-of-state portion of its five-game road swing on Saturday when the Trailblazers take on Stonehill College. 

The Trailblazers' road odyssey will see the team play in five different states, and in four different time zones, over the next three weeks.  

This week's trip to New England marked the first time in the program's NCAA Division I reclassification, and the second time overall, that Utah Tech has traveled east of the Mississippi River to play a game. In the program's first NCAA D-II season in 2006-07, UTU played three games in Fort Myers, Fla., to close out that campaign. 

In fact, Saturday's game at Stonehill will mark the second-farthest distance the Trailblazers have traveled to play a game in the contiguous United States - second to only last Wednesday's game at New Hampshire (2,654 miles).  

During the program's Division-II era, Utah Tech made annual trips to Hawai'i (2,860 miles) as a member of the Pacific West Conference, and also played games in both Anchorage (3,277 miles) and Fairbanks (3,162 miles), Alaska.

At the conclusion of Saturday's game at Stonehill, Utah Tech will have played at least one game in 21 different states during its NCAA era, nine of which came during the program's first D-II season in 2006-07.

Speaking of New Hampshire, Utah Tech snapped its two-game road skid with a 56-46 victory over the Wildcats decision on Wednesday afternoon. 

OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (3-2/0-0 WAC) will play its second game in New England on Saturday afternoon in a post-Thanksgiving matinee at Stonehill College (0-6). Tip-off inside Merkert Gymnasium (1,560) in Easton, Mass., is set for 2 p.m. (EST). 
 
UTAH TECH VS. STONEHILL: Saturday's game at Stonehill will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Skyhawks on the basketball court.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech shook off a sluggish start to rally for a 56-46 road victory at New Hampshire on Wednesday afternoon inside Lundholm Gymnasium in Durham.   
            The Trailblazers misfired on seven of their first nine shots and committed six early turnovers, while the Wildcats scored all 12 of their points in the paint on 6-of-11 shooting as they raced out to a 12-5 lead.
            Utah Tech chipped away at the deficit and would ultimately take a 29-27 lead into the halftime intermission.
            UTU trailed just once more when UNH hit a 3-pointer to open the second half scoring. That would be the only bucket the Wildcats would hit as the Blazers outscored UNH in a low-scoring 10-3 stanza and enjoyed a 39-30 cushion heading to the fourth.
            Utah Tech led wire-to-wire in the final frame, extending its lead to as many as 12 points before settling for the 10-point win.
 
HEAD COACH JD GUSTIN: JD Gustin is in his eighth season at the helm of the Utah Tech Women's Basketball program.
            Gustin has seen marked improvements in each season on the Trailblazer sideline, culminating with an 19-12 overall record last season, a nine-win turnaround from the previous season. The 2022-23 campaign also featured a 10-8 mark and a fifth-place finish in Western Athletic Conference play. In addition, the Trailblazers made their WAC Tournament debut in 2022-23, and advanced on to the quarterfinal round by defeating Utah Valley, 72-68, to win their first-ever NCAA Division-I era postseason victory. 
            Utah Tech's 19 wins last season were the most in the program's current NCAA Division-I transition, and is the highest win total during Coach Gustin's seven-year tenure on the Trailblazer bench. 
            In Utah Tech's final Division II season, the Trailblazers played to an 18-12 under Gustin. The team also capped that 2019-20 season by clinching a berth in the 2020 RMAC Tournament, marking the first time the Trailblazers have qualified for a conference tournament since the 2013-14 season. The Trailblazers entered the tournament as the No. 7 seed, and shocked second-seeded Western Colorado in Gunnison, Colorado, for a 65-60 win in the RMAC Quarterfinals.
  
THE REST OF THE STAFF: This past April, Gustin announced the promotion off all three members of his coaching staff. 
            Gustin elevated two of his assistants, Matt Thune (second season at Utah Tech) and Nicole Yazzie (eighth season at Utah Tech), to associate head coach designations, while assistant coach Candace Thornton (second season at Utah Tech) will also serve as the program's recruiting coordinator. 
            
GILLEN THE ONE TO WATCH IN 2023-24: Coming off a banner senior season in 2022-23, fifth-year guard Breaunna Gillen entered her final collegiate campaign with a pair of well-deserved preseason honors to her credit. 
            In October, Gillen was voted as the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year, and was named to the 25-player preseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year, presented by Her Hoop Stats. 
            Gillen is the lone WAC representative on the Hammon watch list, which includes women's basketball student-athletes from 23 teams and 16 conferences overall. 
            Last season, Gillen was either at or near the top of the WAC scoring list throughout the entire 2022-23 campaign en route to first team all-WAC honors, wound up as the conference's second leading scorer at 17.8 points per game. 
            The fifth-year guard finished last season as the WAC's leader in assists at 6.45 apg, and finished in the top-10 overall in assist/turnover ratio (2nd; 1.77), field goal percentage (5th; .438), and free throw percentage (10th; .744).
 
TRAILBLAZERS PICKED FOURTH THE WAC: Utah Tech was picked to finish fourth in the 2023-24 WAC women's basketball preseason coaches poll, which was released on Oct. 15. 
            Grand Canyon received six of a possible 11 first place votes and 93 total points to be tabbed as the WAC preseason favorite, while defending regular season and tournament champion Southern Utah collected the other five first place nods to finish second in the poll with 87 points.
            California Baptist (83 pts) was picked to finish third, followed by Utah Tech (71 pts) in fourth, Stephen F. Austin (61 pts) in fifth, Abilene Christian (54 pts) in sixth, UT Arlington (53 pts) in seventh, UTRGV (42 pts) in eighth, Tarleton (22 pts) and Utah Valley (22 pts) tied for ninth, and Seattle U (17 pts) was picked to finish 11th. 
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 235-straight games, which included 17 made threes in the season opener vs. La Verne (11/6), followed by 14 more trifectas at TAMU-C last Monday afternoon.  
            The 17 made treys (17-of-38; .447) vs. La Verne tied for the third-highest single game total in program history, which, coincidentally, was the same number of perimeter jumpers the Blazers hit in last season's win over La Verne (11/26/22).
            In the 2021-22 season, the Trailblazers nailed a school-record 22 3-pointers in its 107-57 blowout win over Life Pacific (11/9/21).
            That record was one of two 3FG school records to fall that night as the Blazers also broke a team record for 3FG attempted (51). 
            Utah Tech has reached double figures in made 3-pointers 86 times during the program's NCAA era, including a school-record 19 times last season. In fact, the Trailblazers broke single season school records for 3FGM (310), 3FGA (898), and 3FG% (.345) last year.
            In all, Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 443 of its 446 games during its NCAA era, which began in the 2006-07 season.
            Two of the three instances when the Blazers did not hit a three happened during the 2013-14 season (vs. Hawai'i-Hilo, 2/13/14; at California Baptist, 1/18/14), and the other came in the program's first NCAA season in 2006-27 (vs. UHH, 1/7/07). 
            Meanwhile, Utah Tech has surrendered at least one made opponent 3-pointer in 445 of 446 games during its NCAA era. 
 
DEFENSE DOES TRAVEL: Utah Tech broke a single-game record for fewest points allowed in a quarter when the Trailblazers held New Hampshire to only three third-quarter points in last Wednesday's win.
            The Trailblazer defense limited UNH to 1-of-16 shooting in the period, this after the Wildcats missed their final nine shots to close out the second quarter. UNH shot a paltry 26.5 percent (18-of-68) from floor overall, which included a 7-of-35 (.200) clip in the second half. The Wildcats were also just 2-of-25 (.008) from beyond the arc.
            Utah Tech's previous school record for fewest points allowed in a quarter was four points set twice - both in fourth quarters of road victories, with the last occurrence coming in the 2019-20 season opener at UT-Tyler (W, 75-41; 11/8/2019), which was the program's final NCAA Division II season. UTU also held Holy Names to four fourth-quarter points in a road win in the 2015-16 campaign (61-44; 2/20/16).
            
TRAILBLAZERS NOTES
* - Gillen and the Trailblazers are breathing a heavy sigh of relief after the fifth-year guard went down with an apparent lower leg injury last in the first quarter at TAMU-C last Monday and did not return.
* - Gillen was off to a solid start in the first quarter of that start with three points, two assists and two steals.
* - However the injury forced Gillen to miss her second career game on Wednesday at UNH ... Gillen, who has played in 96 of UTU's 98 games over her career, had started in 73-straight games prior to the UNH game.
* - Gillen, who is listed as a game-time decision for Saturday's game at Stonehill, unfortunately saw her double-digit point streak also end at 46 games on Monday. 
* - Prior to Monday's game at TAMU-C, Gillen was off to a torrid start to her final collegiate season ... she just missed her second career triple-double in the season opener vs. La Verne (11/6), against which she tallied a game-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, to go with a career-high 11 rebounds and eight assists.
* - Gillen followed that up with a game-high 24 points in the Jax State (11/9) win ... her 24 points were two off of her career high of 26 set nearly one year ago to the day in a home win vs. Utah State (11/15/22).
 * - Gillen's (451) second basket of the night, a leaner in the lane at the 6:56 mark of the first quarter, moved her past Brown (433; 2009-11, 12-13) to become the program's all-time leader in FGM.
* - Gillen then filled the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the road loss at UNLV (11/14).
* - Gillen (1,175) vaulted into second place on Utah Tech's career points early in the first half at UNLV, and has moved to within 38 points of passing former Trailblazer guard Johnna Brown (1,212 pts; 2009-11, 12-13) to become the program's all-time leading scorer.  
* - Gillen has scored in double figures in 62 career games with 20 20-plus point outings.
* - Gillen (424) also became the ninth player to surpass 400 career rebounds in the La Verne win (11/6) and now has eight career double-doubles to her credit. 
* - Gillen, who is already the program's single season (200; 2022-23) and career assist leader (411), collected her 400th career dime on a Maddie Warren 3-pointer in the third quarter vs. La Verne (11/6).
* - Gillen is also the third player in program history with 1,000 points and at least 200 assists (Brown - 1,212 pts/232 assts; Kaylah Miller - 1,055 pts/200 assts). 
* - Speaking of Maddie Warren, the redshirt-sophomore guard led all scorers with a season-high 21 points last Monday at TAMU-C ... Warren went 8-of-15 from the floor with a career-high tying five 3-pointers, and picked off a career best four steals ... Meanwhile, her eight FGM were also a career high.  
* - Maddie Warren's five treys on Monday matched her previous career high she first tied exactly two years earlier in a home win vs. Antelope Valley (5-of-10; 11/20/21) ... she also hit five 3FG in her collegiate debut vs. Life Pacific (5-of-8; 11/9/21) on her way to a career-high 22 points.
*  Maddie Warren's 21-point effort on Monday marked the third-straight game overall that the redshirt-sophomore guard has scored at least 20 points.
* - Maddie Warren hit four 3-pointers en route to 20 points in the home win vs. Jax State (11/9), and poured in 20 more with three treys at UNLV (11/14). 
* - Maddie Warren saw her 20-point game streak halted at three-straight after she was held to nine points in Wednesday's win at New Hampshire, though she did grab four caroms and had two steals.
* - Not to be outdone, twin sister Macie Warren posted her second double-double of the season, and career, with game-highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds (career high) in the UNH win on Wednesday ... the sophomore guard also dished out four assists and picked off two steals.
* - Macie Warren scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four 3-pointers (4-of-5 3FG), seven boards and two assists in the Jax State (11/9) win. 
* - That effort came three days after the redshirt-sophomore guard narrowly missed her first collegiate triple double in the La Verne win (11/6), though she did notch her first career double-double with 19 points, a career-high 10 assists and seven rebounds. 
* - Macie Warren helped pick up the slack on Monday at TAMU-C, finishing with 15 points, six boards, a game-high five assists, and a career-best two blocks. 
* - Maggie McCord poured in a season-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with three 3-pointers at TAMU-C ... she then chased that with her first double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 boards at UNH on Wednesday. 
* - Calyn Dallas replaced Gillen in the starting lineup at UNH, and the freshman responded with a pair of 3-pointers for six points to go with four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 30 minutes.
* - Dallas made the most of her Trailblazer debut as she poured in 15 points in 24 minutes off the bench in the La Verne win (11/6) on 5-for-5 shooting with three 3-pointers.
* - Dallas swatted away a career-best two shots and finished with five points and three boards in 22 minutes at TAMU-C last Monday, in what was the Texan's first game back in her home state as a Trailblazer. 
* - Catelyn Deaver enjoyed her best game as a Trailblazer in the La Verne win (11/6) with a career high nine points, along with four rebounds and two blocks.
* - Catelyn Deaver then rivaled that effort at TAMU-C last Monday with a career-high tying two blocks, a career best seven boards, and six points in 28 reserve minutes.
* - Meanwhile, her twin sister Alyson Deaver poured in a career high seven points and also joined the two-block party on Monday at TAMU-C. 
* - Caitlynn Jordan got her collegiate career off to a good start as she tallied four points, seven rebounds and one assist in nearly 10 reserve minutes vs. La Verne (11/6).
* - Nicole Willardson, who replaced the injured Emily Isaacson in the starting line-up at UNLV (11/14), hit both of her shot attempts for four points to go with two boards and an assist at UNH last Wednesday. 
* - Utah Tech shot 58.4 percent from the floor (45-of-77) vs. La Verne (11/6), which was the fifth-highest single game field goal percentage in program history.
* - Utah Tech's 45 made field goals tied a program single game record that was set all the way back in the 2015-16 season in a home win vs. Chaminade (1/5/16). 
* - Utah Tech outrebounded the Panthers 57-32, and finished with 27 assists on its 45 made field goals ... the 27 dimes are the sixth-most in a single game in program history.
* - Utah Tech held Jax State to just 27.8 percent shooting (20-of-72), which included an 11-of-40 clip (.275) from the perimeter.
* - The Blazers were just as stingy vs. La Verne, limiting the Panthers to 25.0 percent (19-of-76) from the floor in that game. 
* - Overall, Utah Tech has held three of its first five opponents below 30 percent shooting (all wins) ... for context, Utah Tech only held two total opponents to under 30 percent shooting all of last season. 
* - Utah Tech surrendered 16 made 3-pointers to UNLV (11/14), which tied for the most by an opponent during the Trailblazers' current NCAA Division I reclassification.
* - WAC foe California Baptist also hit 16 treys against the Blazers during the 2021-22 season (2/24/22), though the home-standing Lancers hoisted up 56 perimeter jumpers in a game Utah Tech wound up winning, 81-77. 
 
BLAZING A TRAIL TO GREECE: In preparation for the 2023-24 season, Utah Tech embarked on its first-ever foreign trip this past August when the Trailblazers traveled to Greece. 
            The trip included tours of the Kallimarmaro Olympic Stadium, which was the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, the Acropolis of Athens and its museum, and a boat excursion to the Greek islands of Hydra, Poros and Aegina. 
            The Trailblazers won a pair of exhibition games while on the trip, the first came against the Amilia Peristeriou Basketball Club in a 119-45 on August 12, followed by an 88-68 victory over the Athens All-Stars on August 14. 
            Per NCAA rules, college teams are allowed to make an international trip once every four years. Additionally, the team is allotted an extra 10 practices in preparation for the trip.
 
ABOUT THE STONEHILL COLLEGE "SKYHAWKS": Stonehill is off to a rocky 0-6 start to its 2023-24 campaign, with five of those six losses by double figures. Although the Skyhawks are coming off a tough 71-69 road loss at Niagara last Sunday, in a game they led with under three minutes to play. 
            Stonehill senior guard Jada Thornton (5-9) is the lone Skyhawk averaging double figures at 11.5 ppg on 33.3 percent shooting. Thornton has scored at least 10 points in five of six starts, highlighted by a season-high 17 points in the opener vs. Northeastern (11/6).
            However three Skyhawks managed to score in double figures in the Niagara loss, led by guard Sharn Hayward (5-6) with 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four 3-pointers. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will wrap up its five-game road swing, and begin its fourth season of WAC play next Saturday when the Blazers head up Interstate 15 for an "Old Hammer Rivalry" showdown at Utah Valley. Tip-off inside the UCCU Center in Orem is set for 2 p.m. (MST).