Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
After a 10-day break for the Christmas holiday, Utah Tech returns to action this Saturday with its 2023-24 non-conference season finale at Florida International.
 
Saturday's game is the Trailblazers' second as part of the newly formed WAC/Conference USA scheduling alliance. Back on November 9, Utah Tech collected a 73-58 home win over C-USA member Jacksonville State.  
 
Utah Tech, which enters Saturday's game 6-4 in non-conference games, clinched its second-straight winning season record vs. non-conference foes, and the fifth overall during JD Gustin's tenure as head coach, with the Blazers' 92-86 home win over Oregon back on Dec. 19.
 
The Blazers, who are 34-28 all-time vs. non-conference opponents under Gustin, went 9-4 in non-conference games last year, and are 86-83 all-time in non-league games during the program's NCAA era. 
 
Saturday's game at FIU will be Utah Tech's third-ever game east of the Mississippi River during its current NCAA Division I transition - all of which have come this season. Last month, the Trailblazers traveled to New England and collected road wins at both New Hampshire (56-46; 11/22) and at Stonehill College (81-58, 11/25). 
 
Meanwhile, Saturday's game will mark Utah Tech's second-ever trip to Florida for a basketball game. In the program's first NCAA D-II season in 2006-07, Utah Tech played three games in Fort Myers, Fla., to close out that campaign.
 
OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (7-5/1-1 WAC) wraps up its 2023-24 non-conference slate with a trip to South Beach for a Saturday date at Florida International (8-5/0-0 C-USA). 
            Tip-off inside FIU's Ocean Bank Convocation Center (5,000) in Miami is set for 1 p.m. (EST). 
 
UTAH TECH VS. FIU: Saturday's game at Florida International will be the first-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Panthers on the basketball court. 
 
ROAD WARRIORS: Utah Tech's trip to FIU, a total of 2,490 miles from the Burns Arena to the FIU campus, is the third-farthest trip in the contiguous United States for a basketball game in the program's NCAA era.
            Coincidentally, the two farthest trips came last month when the Trailblazers played at New Hampshire (11/22/23 - 2,654 miles) at Stonehill College (11/25/23 - 2,604 miles) in North Easton, Mass. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech closed out the home portion of its 2023-24 non-conference slate on the wrong end of an 87-61 loss to Oklahoma State in the second game of the 2023 Trailblazer Classic back on Dec. 20. 
            The Trailblazers fell victim to a pair of decisive first half Cowgirls runs as OSU erased an early 12-8 UT lead to take a 45-24 halftime advantage. 
            OSU managed to maintain at least a 20-point cushion throughout the second half to come away with its first road victory of the year.
 
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 had 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, Colo., 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).
 
WARREN SHOOTS HER WAY TO WAC POW HONOR:Redshirt sophomore guard Maddie Warren was named WAC Player of the Week this past Tuesday for her efforts in the team's two-game split at their own Trailblazer Classic last week.
            Warren averaged 19.5 pts on 41.9 percent shooting (16-of-28), including a sizzling 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from the perimeter, along with 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in her two starts. 
            Warren knocked down a career-high six 3-pointers on her way to 21 points, along with three rebounds, two assists and a steal in Utah Tech's 92-86 victory win over Oregon back on Dec. 19. She also became the 13th-different Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to hit at least six 3-pointers in one game. 
            Warren then came back a day later and led Utah Tech with 18 points with four more treys, and pulled down three boards, in the Trailblazers' loss to Oklahoma State.
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 242-straight games, which included 17 made threes in the season opener vs. La Verne (11/6), and a season-high 21 treys in the Oregon win on Dec. 19. 
            The 21 made treys vs. Oregon were the second-most in a single game in program history. In addition, the Trailblazers combined to shoot school record-breaking 67.7 percent (21-of-31) from the perimeter on the day, besting the previous record that stood for nearly 12 full seasons (.611, 11-of-18 at BYU-Hawaii; 2/4/2012). 
            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 91 times during the program's NCAA era, including in eight of its first 12 games this season, and in a school-record 19 games 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 450 of its 453 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 452 of 453 games during its NCAA era. 
 
RELEASE - ROTATION - SPLASH: Meanwhile, the Trailblazers are currently ranked SECOND-NATIONALLY, behind only No. 10 Utah (146/13.3 3FGM/g) in 3FGM per game (11.6 3FGM/g), and t-third in total 3FGM (139). In addition, Utah Tech is t-26th in the Division I ranks in 3FG% (.374).   
 
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 their win back on Nov. 22.
            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 three times - coincidentally all on the road. In fact, the last occurrence came last season in the Blazers' road win against, again coincidentally, Weber State (3Q; 12/17/22).  
            Meanwhile, the Blazers achieved the feat two other times during their Division II era, both in the fourth quarter of road victories at UT-Tyler (W, 75-41; 11/8/2019) and at Holy Names (61-44; 2/20/16).
 
TRAILBLAZER PLAYER NOTES
* - Fifth-year guard Breaunna Gillen made a little more history in the Oregon win (12/19), becoming the first Trailblazer to mess around and get a second career triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
* - Gillen notched her first triple-double just over two years earlier in the 2021-22 season opener vs. Life Pacific (14p/10r/11a – 11/9/21).
* - Gillen, who is already far-and-away Utah Tech's career assists leader (452), also recorded her eighth double digit assist game overall.
* - Gillen posted her fourth 20-point game of the season with 21 points in the Bethesda win (12/16) ... she connected on 8-of-12 from the floor, including a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, and tallied eight rebounds and four assists. 
* - For Gillen, it was the 22nd 20-plus point outing of her career, and including her 17 points vs. Oklahoma State (12/20), she has now scored in double figures 69 times in 103 career games overall.
* - That effort came after a 20-point day vs. Weber State (12/9), against which she was just 4-of-12 from the floor, though Gillen did go a perfect 10-of-10 (career best) from the foul line, and tallied seven rebounds, three assists and a season-best four steals.
* - Gillen's 10 made free throws were one off of her career high of 11 that she set twice last season, the first time at Kansas City (11/18/22), and again a month later against, coincidentally, at Weber State (12/17/22).
* - Gillen became Utah Tech's career scoring leader on a straight away 3-pointer midway through the third quarter in Utah Tech's home loss vs. CBU on Dec. 6. 
* - Gillen (1,292 pts) moved past former Blazer guard JohnnaBrown (1,212; 2009-11, 12-13), who held the record for more than a decade. 
* - Gillen also became the fifth player in program history to play in 100 career games with her start vs. Weber State (12/9) ... Gillen now stands five games shy of becoming the program's career leader in games played (Kaylah Miller - 107, 2011-15), and is on pace to do so when the Trailblazers host Utah Valley on Saturday, Jan. 20. 
* - Gillen, who is also Utah Tech's career leader in FGM (491), is now within striking distance of three more career record standards ... in addition to the games played record, the fifth-year guard is on track to become the program's career leader in games started (2nd - 80, needs 2 more), and steals (T-4th - 109, needs 40 more). 
* - Gillen has also joined both Brown (1,212 pts/232 assts) and Miller (1,055 pts/200 assts) as the only three players in program history with 1,000 career points and at least career 200 assists.
* - Gillen poured in 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).
* - Maddie Warren's 21 points vs. Oregon tied her season-high she posted last month at TAMU-Commerce (11/20) ... Warren also became just the 13th Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to hit at least six 3-pointers in one game. 
* - Warren's performance came on the heels of her pouring in 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting in the Bethesda win (12/23). 
* - The redshirt-sophomore guard, who leads the team with five 20-plus point games this season, enjoyed a three-game stretch last month that saw her score at least 20 points in each of those starts, including a pair of 20-point outings against Jax State (11/9) and at UNLV (11/14), as well as the 21 at TAMU-Commerce (11/20).
* - Warren also led four Blazers in double figures with 19 points in the win at UVU (12/2) ... Warren went 4-of-8 from the perimeter in that game and pulled down a career-high tying eight rebounds. 
* - Meanwhile, twin sister Macie Warren has scored in double figures in 10 of her 12 starts this season, highlighted by a season-high 26 points in the loss to CBU (12/6) ... Warren posted season highs in both field goals (10) and 3-pointers (5 - t-career high) made as she connected on 10-of-17 from the floor, 5-of-11 from beyond the arc.
* - Warren's 26 points were three points shy of her career high of 29 points, which she recorded nearly one-year-ago-to-the-day in a road win at Air Force (12/10/22). 
* - Warren tallied 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers in the Bethesda win (12/16) ... Warren also collected six boards, five assists and two steals. 
* - Warren is currently second the WAC in FG% at 55.1 percent (t-49th in the NCAA), which is also good for third on Utah Tech's single season FG% list ... in addition, Warren is fifth in career FG% (193-of-4-7; .474) through her first 47 games as a Trailblazer.
* - Warren posted her third double-double of the season, and career, in the WAC season-opener at Utah Valley (12/2) with 12 points and a career-high tying 10 rebounds.
* - Warren also pulled down 10 boards and led all scorers with 16 points in the New Hampshire win (11/22), 
* - Warren 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.
* - Fifth-year guard Maggie McCord, who DNP'd in the Bethesda win, came back in a big way in Oregon win (12/19) as she tied her own school record with eight 3-pointers on her way to a season-high 24 points.
* - McCord's eight treys were the most made by a Trailblazer inside the Burns Arena, and matched her previous record-tying performance (8-of-10) during the 2021-22 season in a road loss at Seattle U (2/26/22). 
* - Former Blazer guard Kaylah Miller was the first Blazer player to hit eight treys in one game nearly 10 full seasons ago on the road at Azusa Pacific (1/20/14). 
* - Meanwhile, McCord's 24 points eclipsed her previous season high of 20 in the win at Stonehill (11/25) ... McCord went 7-of-10 from the floor with six 3-pointers (6-of-9) ... she also grabbed a co-game high eight rebounds, and had two assists and a steal. 
* - Calyn Dallas replaced McCord in the starting lineup vs. Bethesda (12/16), and the freshman guard responded with her first collegiate double-double with career-highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds.
* - Dallas, who went 10-of-19 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers, flirted with a triple-double as she finished with a career-best six assists along with two blocks and one steal in her second start of the season.
* - Dallas carried that shooting touch into the Oregon win (12/19) as she went 5-of-6 from the floor with a career-high tying four 3-pointers on her way to 14 points off the bench ... the freshman also knocked down four treys as part of a 16-point afternoon off the bench in the Stonehill win (11/25). 
* - Dallas made the most of her Trailblazer debut as she poured in 15 points in 24 minutes in 25 reserve minutes in the La Verne win (11/6) on 5-for-5 shooting with three 3-pointers.
* - Freshman forward Nicole Willardson enjoyed a breakout performance in the Oregon win (12/19), pouring in a career-high 12 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.
* - Willardson scored eight of her 12 points in a near two-minute stretch with under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and recorded a key block with 18 seconds to play that helped protect a slim three-point Blazer lead.
* - Willardson, who had started in each of the last seven games prior to the Bethesda game (12/16), tallied eight points, five rebounds, and a career-high three blocks, off the bench in that Bethesda win. 
* - Sophomore forward Alyson Deaver put together her overall best game as a Trailblazer in Bethesda win (12/16) with a career-high 14 points in 22 minutes ... Deaver went 7-of-8 at the foul line and tallied eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 22 reserve minutes. 
* - Twin sister 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 ... the sophomore forward also made her first career start in the Bethesda win (12/16) and filled the stat sheet with two points, six rebounds, one block, and a career-high three steals.
* - Freshman forward Caitlynn Jordan just missed her first collegiate double-double vs. Bethesda (12/16), notching career highs with nine points and 10 boards. 
 
TRAILBLAZER TEAM NOTES
* - For the first time in program history, Utah Tech had five players score in double figures in consecutive games in both wins over Bethesda and Oregon ... the Trailblazers have now done it three times overall this season as Utah Tech also had five players score in double figures in the season opener vs. La Verne (11/6). 
* - Utah Tech is currently one of two teams (Abilene Christian) in the WAC featuring four players averaging double figures in points through the first 11 games of the season
* - In addition, Utah Tech is the only team in the WAC with three players listed in the conference's top-10 in scoring (Gillen 16.36 ppg/Maddie Warren 16.33/Macie Warren 14.8 ppg). 
* - Utah Tech's 75-point margin of victory over Bethesda (110-35) broke a school record that stood for nearly 15 years ... during the 2008-09 season, the Trailblazers rang in the New Year with a 95-36 (+59) home win over Chaminade (1/3/09).
* - The Trailblazers also set another school record by holding Bethesda to just 16.5 percent (13-of-79) from the floor ... the new shooting percentage standard broke the previous record set during the 2021-22 campaign when Utah Tech limited Antelope Valley to a 19.0 percent shooting effort (11/20/21). 
* - Utah Tech's 110 points vs. Bethesda were the second-most in a game this season and the third-most in the program's four-year era. 
* - Meanwhile, the 35 points allowed vs. Bethesda were the third-fewest surrendered during the Trailblazers' NCAA era.
*- All eight Trailblazers who played vs. Bethesda and recorded at least three rebounds ... in addition, seven of the eight also had at least two assists and one steal in an overall balanced day up-and-down the Utah Tech line-up.
* - Utah Tech shot 54.4 percent from the floor (43-of-79) in the Bethesda win, which included a 10-of-35 (.286) clip from the perimeter ... the 43 made field goals were the third-most in a single game in the program's NCAA era.
* - The Blazers pulled down a season-high 64 rebounds vs. Bethesda (t-third all-time at UT) and recorded a season-high plus-27 rebounding margin (64-37). 
* - Utah Tech also posted season highs in both steals (13) and blocks (10) in the Bethesda win ... in fact, the last time the Trailblazer defense recorded 10 blocks in a game was during the 2010-11 season (10 vs. Academy of Art; 2/12/11). 
* - Bolstered by Gillen's perfection at the foul line, Utah Tech shot a season-best 94.4 percent (17-of-18) at the stripe in the Weber State (12/9) loss ... the Blazers then followed that up by going 14-of-15 (.933) at the line in the Bethesda win (12/16).
* - Utah Tech connected on a season-best 58.4 percent of its field goal attempts (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 La Verne 57-32 (11/6), 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 (11/9) 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 (11/6), limiting the Panthers to 25.0 percent (19-of-76) from the floor in that game. 
* - Overall, Utah Tech has held four of its first 12 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. 
 
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 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL "PANTHERS": FIU enters Saturday's game winners of five of its last six, all of which coming at home, including a pair of lopsided victories over both Alabama A&M (W, 87-63; 12/19) and former WAC member Chicago State (W, 73-55; 12/20) prior to the Christmas break.
            In fact, the Panthers have played 10 of their first 13 games at home and are 6-4 in those contests overall. 
            FIU features a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging over nine points a game, led by the front court duo of senior forward Ajae Yoakum (6-0) at 11.3 ppg on a team-best 59.3 percent shooting, and fifth-year forward Courtney Prenger (6-1) at 11.2 ppg on 54.8 percent from the floor. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech opens the New Year, and the bulk of its WAC slate, by playing five of its next seven games at home, starting with a match-up against Seattle U on Thursday, Jan. 4. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 7 p.m.