(St. George, Utah – Dec. 9, 2023) Utah Tech women's basketball was in action Saturday afternoon, falling 77-67 to the Weber State Wildcats at Burns Arena. With the result, Utah Tech's record is now 5-4 with a matchup against Bethesda University scheduled for next weekend.
 
"The intensity that we were trying to play with on defense, you saw it in the second half - that was our gameplan going in: press and get things mixed up but we just couldn't quite get there," Associate Head Coach Matt Thune said. "We just couldn't find our rhythm today but we'll get it back."
 
With a starting five that featured both Warren twins and freshman Nicole Willardson, both teams traded buckets early. Breaunna Gillen scored five-consecutive points early in the quarter to turn a two-point deficit into a three-point lead, but the visitors tied it up with a jumper with 4:31 to go in the first. After an 11-3 run late in the quarter, the Trailblazers held a 23-17 lead after one period of play.
 
Weber State would open the second quarter on a 12-3 run of their own, taking a 29-26 lead with 6:20 to go before Macie Warren connected on a layup to bring the deficit down to one. The Wildcat offense continued to roll, however, finding a rhythm from range and connecting from deep on the next three shots to fuel a 41-33 advantage at the break.
 
Though Utah Tech would open the third quarter shooting 4-6 (66.7%), four turnovers and the visitors' 8-10 shooting through the first six minutes, combined with another 8-0 Weber State run late in the period, fueled a WSU lead that grew to as much as 20 with 3:12 on the clock. The Trailblazers did go on a quick 7-0 run to bring the game within 13 points but a pair of Wildcat buckets put the visitors ahead, 65-48, after three.
 
After both teams traded buckets early in the fourth, UT ramped up its defensive pressure even higher and went on another 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to single digits after Gillen connected on a pair of free throws with 3:57 on the clock. Despite the momentum, it would not be enough as Weber State would claim the 77-67 victory.

Gillen finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and four steals, shooting a perfect 10-10 at the line across 38 minutes played. Macie Warren's strong effort resulted in a line of 18 points, three rebounds and one steal, while Maddie Warren shot 6-13 from the field and 5-5 at the line on her way to 17 points, four rebounds and three assists. Alyson Deaver finished with five points and three rebounds off the bench while Catelyn Deaver had two steals in 18 minutes; Nicole Willardson tied a career-high mark for blocks with two.
 
As a team the Trailblazers shot 22-56 (39.3%) from the field, hitting six shots from deep and making 17 of 18 free throw attempts, good for 94.4%. With six offensive rebounds UT scored nine second chance points and 28 in the paint, while the defense used three blocks and seven steals to force 14 Weber State turnovers, converting those into 19 points off turnovers and nine points on the fast break.
 
The Trailblazers are back in action next weekend, hosting Bethesda University on Saturday. Tipoff at Burns Arena is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
"It's a much-needed week for us with where we're at," Coach Thune said. "We can get some players healthy, get through finals, get refreshed and then go into the next run of games strong."