Who | Utah Tech (4-3, 1-0 WAC) at California Baptist (6-1, 1-0 WAC)
When | Wednesday, Dec. 6 – 8 p.m. MT
Where | Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center – Riverside, Calif.
Broadcast | ESPN+ / 99.5 The Fan Sports Network
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UniteTheFamily / #IntoTheStorm
 
Scouting the Lancers
California Baptist has gotten off to a hot start in the 2023-24 season, entering Wednesday's game with a 6-1 record and in the midst of a four-game winning streak, most recently beating Southern Utah by 25 points in Cedar City. Led by Dominique Daniels Jr.'s 16.3 points per game, four Lancers are averaging double-figure scoring while the team has punished opponents on the glass, averaging 41.9 rebounds per game and posting a plus-9.3 rebounding margin.
 
Though Utah Tech holds a 12-9 advantage in the all-time series, the Lancers have a 3-2 record during UT's Division-I era and won the previous two contests; the last Utah Tech victory came on Jan. 12, 2022 in Riverside.
 
Good to be Home
The Trailblazers made their long-awaited home debut against Utah Valley on Saturday, defeating the in-state rival 65-53 at Burns Arena. After a slow first half in which neither team scored more than 23 points, the Trailblazers used 12-0 and 12-3 runs late in the second half to pull away, holding UVU to just three points in the final 4:30 of game action. The result snapped a two-game losing streak within the series while also notching the team's first home and conference victories of the 2023-24 season.
 
Noa's Big Game
In his fifth time playing against Utah Valley, the Lehi, Utah, native Noa Gonsalves scored a game-high 18 points on 7-15 shooting and 4-9 from deep. Gonsalves, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds the last time Utah Tech played against UVU, talked after the game about the importance of Saturday's victory.
 
"This win means a lot - Utah Valley is one of our rivals so it's a good win, good conference win," he said. "I started 0-4 or something like that but my teammates continued to trust me like they always do and I just had to make sure to keep firing."
 
Double-Double
Beon Riley set a new career-best mark for rebounds in a single game, crashing the glass to the tune of 13 boards, also adding 17 points, two assists and two steals while shooting 4-10 from the field, 1-1 from deep and 8-11 at the line. With his previous career high set at nine rebounds, Saturday's effort marked the first double-double of the Chula Vista, Calif., native's career.
 
Riley, who was named Player of the game along with Gonsalves by Coach Judkins, has excelled during his first season as a Trailblazer. After making 65 bench appearances across three seasons at Hawaii, has started every game this year and ranks third on the team in minutes played, averaging 11.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 47.9% from the field, 55.6% from deep and 82.9% at the line.
 
Hitting the Glass
The Trailblazers out-rebounded Utah Valley 39-27, notching the team's second double-digit rebounding margin of the 2023-24 season after finishing with another plus-12 margin in a victory over Lake Erie on Nov. 18. At 26.57, Utah Tech's average defensive rebounding rate ranks fourth among 11 WAC teams this season.
 
Part of the team's recent success on the glass has been Jaylen Searles, who has posted season-high marks for rebounding in each of the team's last two games (both victories). After finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds against Lindenwood on Monday, Searles paired five points with a season-high 10 rebounds in Saturday's victory over Utah Valley, and the 6-8 forward now ranks third on the team with an average of 5.9 per game.
 
Hot Start
Utah Tech opened Saturday's win with a quick 6-0 run that was fueled by the play of point guard Aric Demings. After scoring on the team's opening possession with a pull-up jumper in the mid-range, Demings converted two shots at the free throw line before blocking a shot that led to a Gonsalves make on the ensuing possession, putting Utah Tech ahead by six points less than two minutes into the game.
 
Demings, in his first year of college basketball, finished the game with six points, two rebounds and three assists across 35 minutes played and now holds averages of 10.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
 
Season-High
With Tanner Christensen battling foul trouble against the Wolverines, Hamed Olayinka played a season-high 14 minutes and made a big impact on the defensive end, tying a season-high with two blocks, also adding four points and two rebounds. Two of his points came when he went 2-2 at the line with 4:07 on the clock to end a scoreless drought that lasted nearly three minutes, and the made free throws were Utah Tech's first points in what ended up being a 12-3 run to close the game.
 
Olayinka is now one of just 11 players in the WAC averaging at least 1.0 blocks per game.
 
Improved D and Limiting Threes
Part of Utah Tech's success against UVU came down to a defense that held the Wolverines to just 18-52 (34.6%) from the field and 3-18 (16.7%) from shots from beyond the arc. This season the Trailblazers have excelled at limiting opponents' ability to connect from deep, limiting teams to 33% or lower in all but one game. Santa Clara (29.6%), Youngstown State (29.2%) and Lindenwood (26.3%) all shot below 30% while UVU's 16.7% mark from three-point range was a season-low among competitors.
 
Through seven games, Utah Tech's defense has held opposing teams to nearly four-percent lower from the field when compared with last season, while the Trailblazers are also recording more steals (7.6 per game compared with 6.6 last year) and blocking more shots (3.6 per game compared to 2.2).
 
What's Next
After spending the entire month of November on the road, Utah Tech is back at home for another non-conference match up, hosting Idaho. Tipoff at Burns Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday.