Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | ACU - PDF
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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech will host the first of two opponents from the state of Texas this week as the Trailblazers continue their four-game homestand on Thursday night against Abilene Christian.
 
Utah Tech fell to 10-19 against its fellow Beehive State opponents in the program's NCAA era following last Saturday's loss to Utah Valley. That mark includes an 8-9 record in in-state rivalry games during the team's current Division I transition.  
 
Utah Tech is playing game No. 3 of 11 against teams from the Lone Star State this season, and is still looking to break through with its first win against a Texas opponent. 
 
The Trailblazers dropped an 84-75 road decision at Texas A&M-Commerce (11/20/23) just before Thanksgiving, and came out on the short end of a 76-67 result at Stephen F. Austin (1/11/24) two weeks ago. 
 
Utah Tech and ACU are currently the only two teams in the WAC featuring four players averaging double figures in points through this point of the season.
 
In fact, Utah Tech is the only team in the WAC with three players listed in the conference's top-10 in both scoring (4. Breaunna Gillen 15.8 ppg; 5. Macie Warren 15.3; 7. Maddie Warren 14.9 ppg) and field goal percentage (3. Mac. Warren .503; 6. Gillen .466; 8. Mad. Warren .415). 

OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (9-9/3-4 WAC) returns to the Burns Arena floor this Thursday night to host Abilene Christian (8-8/4-3 WAC) in a key Western Athletic Conference duel. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (MT).  

UTAH TECH VS. ACU: Utah Tech is 2-1 all-time in its brief series vs. Abilene Christian, with both wins coming at home, including an 85-74 triumph in the lone match-up between the two teams last season (1/11/23).
            In fact, Thursday night's game will mark the third-straight time the Trailblazers have squared off against the Wildcats inside the Burns Arena. Utah Tech will travel to Abilene to close out its 2023-24 road slate this upcoming March 2. 
            The two sides also split a pair of games during the 2021-22 season, with both teams protecting their home gyms. ACU won the first-ever meeting in Abilene on New Year's Day (W, 71-53; 1/1/22), while the Blazers evened the series two months later in St. George (W, 95-81; 3/2/22). 
            
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech could not overcome a slow start offensively last Saturday in a 55-52 home loss to in-state rival Utah Valley.
            The Trailblazers methodically erased an early 21-9 deficit and eventually led by five at 37-32 with 3:34 remaining in the third quarter.
            Utah Tech saw slim 45-44 fourth quarter lead disappear as UVU bolted to a 53-27 advantage with 2:12 left.
            The Blazers pared the lead down to a single point at 53-52 and had a chance to win the game with a final possession and 15 seconds on the clock. However the UVU defense forced a Utah Tech turnover with eight seconds left, and the Wolverines hit two free throws in the waning seconds to escape with the road win.
 
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) and serves 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).
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 248-straight games, which included a season-high 21 treys in the Oregon win on Dec. 19, and 10 more 3-pointers (10-of-35) in the UVU last Saturday. 
            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 93 times during the program's NCAA era, including in 10 of 18 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 456 of its 459 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 458 of 459 games during its NCAA era. 
 
RELEASE - ROTATION - SPLASH: Meanwhile, the Trailblazers (10.2 3FGM/g) are currently ranked THIRD-NATIONALLY, behind only No. 14 Utah (222/11.7 3FGM/g) and No. 5 Iowa (207/10.4 3FGM/g) in made 3-pointers per game, and FOURTH in NCAA Division I in 3-pointers made (184). In addition, Utah Tech is fifth in the country in 3FGA per game (29.1 3FGAg), one spot ahead of Abilene Christian (6th - 28.8 3FGAg), and is t-51st in the Division I ranks in 3FG% (.351).  
 
PERFECT 11: Fifth-year guard Maggie McCord had herself a night in the win vs. Seattle U (1/4) as she set a school record by going 11-of-11 from the floor with four 3-pointers on her way to a career-high tying 26 points.
            McCord, who tallied 26 points last year in a road win at, coincidentally, Seattle U (2/26/22), also pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds to notch her second double-double of the season.
            Meanwhile, McCord's 4-of-4 effort from the perimeter also helped vault her to the top of Utah Tech's career 3FG% list (.399; 163-of-409). 
            McCord's shooting night bested the previous perfection record held by former Trailblazer Megan Tidwell, who went 9-of-9 for 21 points in a road win at Chaminade (93-54; 2/4/09) during the 2008-09 season. 
 
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
* - The 2023-24 campaign has been on for the record books for fifth year guard Breaunna Gillen, who earlier this season became the first Trailblazer to mess around and get her second career triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the Oregon win (12/19).
* - 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 (466), also recorded her eighth double digit assist game overall in that Oregon win.
* - On a night when she became the program's all-time leader in games played, Gillen (108 games) posted her fifth 20-point game of the season with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting in the SUU win last Thursday night.
* - Gillen (505 rebs) also became just the third Trailblazer in program history to reach the 500-rebound plateau earlier in the game. 
* - Gillen (1,365 pts/505 rbs/469 assts) joined former Blazer forward Johnna Brown (1,212 pts/726 rbs/232 assts; 2009-11, 12-13) as the only two players in program history with at least 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds and 200 career assists.
* - Gillen now has 23 20-plus point games to her credit, and including her 16 points at SFA (1/11), she has now scored in double figures 73 times in 108 career games overall.
* - Gillen also went for 20 points vs. Weber State (12/9), against which she was just 4-of-12 from the floor, though she 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 (1,365) recorded her 1,300th-career point on her first basket of the third quarter at FIU (12/30), against which she finished with a team-high 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting. 
* - Gillen, who is Utah Tech's career leader in six total statistical categories, is now within striking distance of one more career record ... the fifth-year guard needs 35 steals (116 - 4th) to reach that career plateau ... Gillen bolstered that chase by picking off a career-high tying five steals in the Seattle U win (1/4). 
* - RS-sophomore guard Macie Warren has scored in double figures in 13 of her 18 starts this season, highlighted by a season-high 27 points in the win over Seattle U (1/4) ... Warren finished two points off of her career high of 29 points she tallied last season in a road win at Air Force (12/10/22).
* - Warren's previous season-high was 26 points in the home loss to CBU (12/6) ... Warren hit on 10-of-17 from the floor, 5-of-11 from beyond the arc.
* - Warren notched her team-leading fifth double-double of the year (and career), and her second in as many games, with 23 points and a career-high tying 10 boards in the SUU win last Thursday night.
* - Warren, who scored her 600th-career point at the foul line late in the fourth quarter in the win, went 4-of-5 from the perimeter and shot 7-of-15 overall on the night.
* - That performance came on the heels of a 16-point, 10-rebound effort at SFA two weeks ago (1/11). 
* - Warren also pulled down 10 rebounds and had 12 points in the WAC season-opener at Utah Valley (12/2), and racked up 10 caroms 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.
* - Warren is currently third in the WAC in FG% at 50.3 percent ... in addition, Warren is sixth in career FG% (225-of-482; .467), and third in career 3FG% (87-of-226; .385) through her first 53 games as a Trailblazer.
* - Not to be outdone, twin sister Maddie Warren recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 10 boards in the SUU win as well ... Warren hit on 7-of-11 from the floor and just missed a triple-double as she finished with a career-high five assists. 
* - Warren followed that up with a game-high 16 points along with five boards, three assists and two steals in a losing effort vs. UVU last Saturday. 
* - Warren was named WAC Player of the Week back on Dec. 26 for her efforts in the team's two-game split at their own Trailblazer Classic before the Christmas Break.
* - 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, highlighted by a career-high six 3-pointers on her way to 21 points in the Oregon win (12/19). 
* - Warren's 21 points vs. Oregon tied her season-high she posted 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). 
* - She then came back a day later and led Utah Tech with 18 points with four more treys in the Trailblazers' loss to Oklahoma State (12/20).
* - The redshirt-sophomore guard, who co-leads the team (Gillen) 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, who tallied 15 points at SFA (1/11), 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 eight rebounds. 
* - 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 made 3-pointers on her way to a then-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 vs. Oregon 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) and Stonehill, against which she finished with a co-game high eight rebounds, two assists and one steal.
* - McCord (424 rebs), who also grabbed 10 rebounds at SFA last Thursday, moved to within six rebounds of passing teammate Emily Isaacson (429) for seventh place on Utah Tech's career rebounding list. 
* - Freshman guard Calyn Dallas got the starting nod for the third time this season at SFA (1/11), and the freshman guard responded with 14 points, four rebounds and a career-high three steals in 33 minutes ... Dallas went 4-of-11 from the floor with three 3-pointers.  
* - Dallas last started in the Bethesda (12/16) win, against which she notched 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 made her first collegiate start in last Saturday's loss to UVU, and responded with eight points, six rebounds and one block in 28-plus minutes. 
* - Deaver enjoyed another solid outing with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with a 3-pointer and one rebound in 19 reserve minutes vs. SUU on Thursday night. 
* - 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 last Saturday vs. UVU, against which she poured in a career-high 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with a career-high tying three 3-pointers in 23 reserve minutes.
* - That effort came three weeks after Deaver tallied a then-career high 13 points with three 3-pointers at Florida International (12/30) ... Deaver also pulled down three boards and blocked two shots in a career-long 33 minutes of game action.  
* - 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 the home wins over both 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 also recorded a program first in the loss at SFA (1/11), during which the Trailblazer bench did not record a single point as all five starters combined to score the team's 67 points. 
* - Utah Tech also posted a pair of season-lows in the SFA loss, one good, one not-so-good ... the Blazers turned the ball over a season-low six times in the game, though they were held to a season-low 29.6 percent (21-of-71) clip from the floor.
* - The last time Utah Tech had six or fewer turnovers came nearly two full years ago in a road loss at Utah Valley (6; 2/19/22). 
* - 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 17 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 ABILENE CHRISTIAN "WILDCATS": ACU comes into Thursday night's game having won three of its last five, though the Wildcats are coming off a tough 74-65 road loss at UT Arlington last Saturday afternoon. 
            Like Utah Tech, ACU has four players averaging double figures, led by freshman guard Payton Hull (5-11), who is sixth in the WAC in scoring (15.0 ppg) and leads the conference in both 3FGM (2.75 3FGMg) and 3FG% (.367). Meanwhile, Bella Earle (5-10) is the WAC's leading rebounder (8.44 rpg) and is 20th in scoring (11.7 ppg). 
            
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech wraps up the homestand on Saturday afternoon against Tarleton. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 2 p.m. (MST).