Utah Tech fell victim to a late scoring drought as the Trailblazers closed their 2023-24 non-conference slate with a tough 68-62 road loss at Florida International on Saturday afternoon at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. 

How it happened 
Utah Tech (7-6/1-1 WAC) had trouble solving the Panthers' man-to-man defense in the early going as FIU scored the game's first nine points to open up an early lead.
 
Maddie Warren finally got the Trailblazers on the board with a bucket at the 6:06 mark of the opening frame. Warren followed that up with a 3-pointer, while Maggie McCord scored and Macie Warren knocked down a trey to pulled Utah Tech to within a point at 11-10 with 3:37 to go in the first.
 
However FIU (9-5) would counter with a pair of perimeter jumpers of its own and closed the period with a 10-4 spurt en route to a 21-14 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play.
 
After allowing the Panthers to score 12 of their 21 points first quarter points in the paint, Utah Tech turned the tables on the Panthers defensively in the second as FIU was just 2-of-10 from the field in the stanza. 
 
Meanwhile, the Trailblazer offense chipped away at the deficit and would close to within two at 29-27 after a McCord lay-up with 2:29 remaining in the first half.
 
However both of Panthers' made field goals in the frame were 3-pointers, the last off the shooting hand of Aileen Marquez on FIU's next trip down the court, which helped FIU take a 33-29 lead into the halftime break.
 
FIU would push its lead to eight with the first four points of the second half, but Utah Tech stormed back with nine-unanswered to take its first lead of the day at 38-37 with 6:52 to go in the third quarter.
 
Maddie Warren got the rally going with a conventional three-point play, while Gillen, McCord and Macie Warren all scored inside the painted area within a two-minute span.
 
The Trailblazers then got it going from the perimeter, scoring their next nine points from downtown thanks to a pair of Catelyn Deaver treys and a Macie Warren trifecta that spotted Utah Tech a 47-44 advantage at the 4:13 mark of third.
 
Utah Tech took a 51-49 lead into the fourth quarter and would push that lead to as many as five points, the last instance coming at 60-55 with 5:20 to go after two Maddie Warren free throws.
 
Unfortunately the Trailblazers could only muster two more made free throws the rest of the way as FIU closed the game with a 13-2 run. 
 
Utah Tech misfired on its final seven shot attempts and turned the ball over three times over that final five-plus minute stretch.  
 
Numbers to know
Gillen led four Trailblazers in double figures with 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Gillen also collected four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
 
Gillen recorded her 1,300^th-career point on her first basket of the third quarter. 
 
Deaver finished with a career-best 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting with a career-high tying three 3-pointers. Deaver also pulled down three boards and blocked two shots. 
 
Maddie Warren tallied 12 points, four rebounds and four assists, and McCord wound up with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three caroms. 
 
Utah Tech shot 42.9 percent (24-of-56) from the floor, though the Blazers were just 6-of-20 (.300) from beyond the arc. The Trailblazers also struggled at the foul line, going 8-of-13 (.615) at the stripe, and were outrebounded by a 45-28 count.   
 
Mya Kone led all scorers with 19 points, seven of which came in the Panthers' fourth quarter. 
 
FIU wound up shooting 40.6 percent (26-of-64) overall, and was 6-of-17 (.353) from the perimeter.
 
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 home date against Seattle U on Thursday, Jan. 4. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 7 p.m.