Who | Utah Tech (3-3) vs Utah Valley (5-2)
When | Saturday, Dec. 2 – 7 p.m.
Where | Burns Arena – St. George, Utah
Broadcast | ESPN+ / 99.5 The Fan Sports Network
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UniteTheFamily / #IntoTheStorm
 
Scouting the Opponent
Coming off a 78-72 victory over Seattle U on Wednesday, the Utah Valley Wolverines boast a 5-2 record that also includes wins over Sam Houston and Southern Mississippi. Currently shooting 44.9% from the field as a team, UVU shot a season-high 38 free throws against Seattle U on Wednesday, converting at a 78.9% clip. Three players are averaging double-figure scoring while the 7'0" Trevin Dorius leads the team in rebounding (7.7) and blocks (1.4).
 
Utah Valley holds a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series, having won both games last season, including a 76-69 victory in St. George on Feb. 2, 2023.
 
In the Rotation
After playing limited minutes in the early parts of the season, Unisa Turay and Caleb Stearman found their way on to the court regularly against Washington State and Lindenwood. Stearman set new career-best marks for minutes played in both games, playing nine minutes against WSU before earning 14:31 of game time against LU. For Turay, who spent a total of 14 minutes on the court across three previous appearances, that meant 17:06 of game time against the Cougars of Washington State and 17:25 in Monday's win against Lindenwood.
 
Move the Ball
Central to the Trailblazers' run that built a lead as large as 20 points against the Lions was ball movement. Aric Demings (five assists) set a new single game high in his young career while Jaylen Searles (six assists) came within one assist of his career high of seven. After the game, Head Coach Jon Judkins acknowledged the importance of that ball movement.
 
"We started out with that big lead and got there because we were defending and sharing the ball," Coach Judkins said. "We had something like nine assists in those first 12 minutes."
 
Feed the Post
Having scored just five points in the opening 20 minutes against Lindenwood, Tanner Christensen had a huge second half to help lead Utah Tech to its third victory in 2023. The 6-10 forward/center scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the final frame, including a pair of clutch free throws with 1:02 on the clock to extend Utah Tech's lead to seven.
 
Now in his second season playing at UT, Christensen is currently averaging 13.7 points and a team-leading 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 56.9% from the field and 40.0% from deep.
 
Play Defense
Jaylen Searles played one of his best games in a Trailblazer uniform against Lindenwood on Monday, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists while shooting 6-14 (42.9%) from the field and 3-7 (42.9%) from deep. After the game, Coach Judkins noted that it was actually his effort on the defensive end that paved the way for the strong performance that earned him Player of the Game honors.
 
"When you're not shooting the ball well it's important to do those other things because it allows you to focus on other things and relax offensively, get some easy buckets," Coach Judkins said." Jaylen was getting after it, denying, doing what we thought he would do… he was our player of the game."
 
Riley at the Line
Beon Riley's Utah Tech career has gotten off to a strong start, with the 6-6 forward from Chula Vista, Calif., currently averaging 10.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. A key part of his success on the court has been due to the simple act of hitting his free throws. Riley enters Saturday's game shooting 87.5% from the line thanks to a 21-24 effort, having connected on 19 of his last 20 attempts including a perfect 8-8 at Lake Erie and 6-6 against Lindenwood.
 
Iron Man
No Trailblazer has played more minutes this season than junior Noa Gonsalves, with the 6-1 guard playing 210 total minutes; the next closest Trailblazer is Jaylen Searles at 188. After struggling from the field early on, Gonsalves has started to find a rhythm in recent games, shooting 18-34 (52.9%) across his last four appearances; he's finished with double-figure scoring in three of those games which included a season-high 17 points against Youngstown State on Nov. 17.
 
Home Sweet Home
Burns Arena has played host to hundreds of victories over the years, and that trend of winning at home has continued within the previous few seasons. Last year the Trailblazers posted a 9-5 record when playing in St. George after finishing 10-6 the previous season; with a 5-7 home record in the team's first year of Division-I play, that makes the Trailblazers at 24-18 (.571) at home since starting the D-I transition.
 
Conference Play
Saturday's game against Utah Valley marks the first time in the 2023-24 season that Utah Tech has faced a conference opponent. Last season the Trailblazers posted a 5-13 conference record, though it included a victory in the first round of the 2023 Hercules Tires WAC Men's Basketball Tournament, defeating sixth-seeded Stephen F. Austin 80-76 in overtime.
 
How They Rank
Five of the 35 players in the WAC who currently average double-figures for scoring play for UT: David Elliott (14.7), Tanner Christensen (13.7), Aric Demings (10.8), Beon Riley (10.5) and Jaylen Searles (10.2)... Christensen's 8.0 rebounds per game ranks  fifth while his 1.67 blocks is third-most; converting at 56.9% from the field, Christensen leads all players averaging five or more made shots per game... among players to average 2.5 free throws made per game, Riley's percentage of 87.5 is second-highest... Noa Gonsalves' 34.9 minutes per game is second-most... among all players in the conference to record at least one field goal attempt, Caleb Stearman's 71.4% field goal percentage ranks ninth.
 
Back on the Road
After playing one game at home it's back on the road for Utah Tech, who heads west to face WAC opponent California Baptist on Wednesday. Tipoff in Riverside, Calif., is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT on Dec. 6.