Who | Utah Tech (7-11, 3-4 WAC) at Abilene Christian (7-11, 2-5 WAC)
When | Thursday, Jan. 25 / 6 p.m. MT
Where | Moody Coliseum / Abilene, Texas
Broadcast | ESPN+ / 99.5 The Fan Sports Network
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UniteTheFamily / #IntoTheStorm
 
Scouting the Wildcats
Entering Thursday's game at 7-11 (2-5 WAC) on the season, Abilene Christian was able to generate some momentum over the weekend, connecting on 50% of its three-point attempts in a 78-67 home victory over UT Arlington on Saturday. Junior Ali Abdou Dibba ranks fifth in the WAC with a team-leading 15.6 points per game and is coming off a 23-point effort in Saturday's win over UTA as Airion Simmons (13.4) and Hunter Jack Madden (12.3) are fellow Wildcats averaging double-digit points per game.
 
The Trailblazers have yet to defeat ACU, falling in each of the three times these teams have played; it was a close when these teams met last year in Abilene, as Noa Gonsalves' 16 points weren't enough in an 81-76 UT loss.
 
Last Game
Utah Tech fell in its last game to the Utah Valley Wolverines in Orem. After trading baskets early, the hosts started to find a groove offensively and took a lead into halftime that would grow to as much as 19 midway through the second half. Despite the deficit, Utah Tech did not go down easily, battling back to within eight points with just under four minutes to go. Despite the late momentum, it was too little too late as Utah Valley took the 84-71 result.
 
Dominance Down Low
Tanner Christensen had one of the best games of his Utah Tech career on Saturday, scoring 15 points (5-11 FG, 2-5 3PT, 3-4 FT) to go with a career-high-tying 14 rebounds, two assists, and a career-high five blocks. 10 of his points came in the second half alone as the double-double was his fourth of the 2023-24 season; Christensen now holds averages of 11.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
 
Hometown Hero
Playing just 12 miles from his hometown of Lehi, Utah, Noa Gonsalves did what he does best against UVU: hit shots at an efficient clip. With a team-leading 16 points, the 6-1 Gonsalves shot 5-11 from the field and 3-6 from deep, continuing his march up the program record book for made triples; entering this weekend's games, Gonsalves' 119 career three-pointers is the sixth most by anyone in the team's NCAA era.
 
He now holds averages of 12.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game across a team-leading 35.2 minutes per contest, shooting 47.0% from the field and 40.8% from deep.
 
One to Remember
Stone Hutchings had the best game of his young career, as the redshirt-freshman finished with seven points (3-5 FG) and three rebounds across 12 minutes played – all single-game best marks in his career –while Saturday's game marked just his fifth career appearance. After the game, Hutchings' performance earned the praise of Head Coach Jon Judkins.
 
"Stone hasn't played many games this year but gave us some really good minutes," Judkins said. "He made some mistakes but he also hasn't played much and I was proud of his effort."
 
Back on the Scoresheet
Trey Hall has overcome a lot throughout his college career, from starting out as a young freshman at the University of Evansville to dealing with the COVID-impacted season and sitting out to focus on his mental health. On Saturday, making his seventh appearance this season, Hall got on the scoreboard with 6:08 remaining in the first half, drawing a UVU flopping technical with a layup on the low block.
 
The points were Hall's first since Feb. 21, 2021, some 698 days after finishing with two points in a matchup against the Drake Bulldogs while still playing at Evansville.
 
Lead Guard
Making his second-consecutive start, Unisa Turay scored a season-high 12 points against Utah Valley on Saturday, shooting 4-8 from the field, 1-3 from deep and 3-4 at the line. Also adding one rebound, five assists and one steal, the Phoenix, Ariz., native put up strong numbers in his first two starts, combining for averages of 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists across 23 minutes of action.
 
Turay has appeared in all but one game this season, playing 13.2 minutes per contest.
 
Crash the Glass
Christensen wasn't the only Trailblazer to set a season-high mark for rebounding against the Wolverines, as Hamed Olayinka grabbed seven boards to help the Trailblazers out-rebound Utah Valley, 44-34. Olayinka, making his fourth start of the year, finished Saturday's game with five points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block in 21 minutes of action, improving his season averages to 5.1 points and 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
 
Back-to-Back
Less than 48 hours after playing arguably his best game as a Trailblazer, Caleb Stearman led the Utah Tech bench in minutes played for the second-consecutive game, playing 19 minutes against UVU. Tying a career-high with six rebounds, the 6-7 Stearman recorded a stat in each of the five major categories against UVU to finish with one point, six rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
 
Having played 26 minutes as a sophomore, Stearman has made 16 appearances as a junior this season, averaging 8.4 minutes per game while shooting 55.2% from the field and 76.5% at the free throw line.
 
Rim Defense
One of the biggest changes in this year's team has been its ability to defend the rim. Last year, Utah Tech averaged 2.2 blocks per game with Christensen posting a team-leading 25 across the entire 2022-23 season. Flash forward to 2023-24, and that team average has risen to 4.8 thanks to the play of Christensen and Olayinka.
 
Christensen and Olayinka alone have accounted for an average of 3.7 per game, which is more than every team in the WAC not named Utah Tech or Grand Canyon; the Trailblazers are in second behind the Lopes' 5.53 per game while sitting ahead of a tie between UTRGV and UT Arlington who are at 3.68 per game.
 
What's Next
Utah Tech returns home for its next four games, hosting UTRGV and UT Arlington next weekend before welcoming Southern Utah (Feb. 8) and California Baptist (Feb. 10) one week later.