Men's Basketball | 11/11/2024 1:30:00 PM

Game #3
Who | Bethesda (0-3) at Utah Tech (0-2)
When | Wednesday, Nov. 13 – 7 p.m.
Where | Burns Arena – St. George, Utah
Broadcast | ESPN+ / 99.5 The Fan Sports Network
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers + #WACmbb

Scouting the Flames
Bethesda, located in Anaheim, Calif., sits 0-3 on the season suffering losses to The Master's (109-23), Life Pacific (87-71) and CSU Bakersfield (122-53).

The Flames, who face Southern Utah on Tuesday night in Cedar City, are averaging 49.0 points per game while allowing 106 points per contest.

Bethesda has shot 28.7 percent from the field on the season, are sinking three three-pointers a game, while averaging 32.3 boards and 7.3 assists per game.

Junior guard/forward Miles Sulka is leading the team with 11.3 points per game, including scoring a team-best 20 points at Life Pacific on Oct. 31.

Junior forward/center Joshua Abrams is the Flames' leading rebounder averaging 4.7 boards per game.

Series History vs. Bethesda
The Trailblazers are 3-0 all-time against Bethesda with all three wins coming at home.

The Blazers defeated the Flames, 90-69 on Dec. 19, 2020 before wins on back-to-back nights on Nov. 30 (99-61) and Dec. 1, 2021 (99-67).

Last Time Out
The Trailblazers are coming off a 75-63 loss to New Mexico State on Saturday night in the WAC/CUSA Alliance.

The Blazers were led in scoring with 16 points from Noa Gonsalves along with 15 points and seven rebounds from Beon Riley.

Rallying back from a 16-point halftime deficit, the Blazers started the second half on a 24-9 run to get within a point (48-47) before the Aggies went on for the 12-point win.

Where the Blazers Rank in the WAC/NCAA
Utah Tech currently leads the WAC in three point attempts per game (29.0), ranks second in turnovers (9.0) and assist/turnover ratio (1.28).

Individually, Samuel Ariyibi and Riley are third (8.5) and fourth (8.0) in the WAC in rebounds per game while Riley is second in assist/turnover ratio (7.00).

Seasoned Veteran
Head coach Jon Judkins is in his 20th season at Utah Tech this season sporting a 331-205 (.618) overall record and a 311-193 mark in NCAA play.

Only nine Division I coaches enter the 2024-25 season having been at their schools longer - Greg Kampe (41st season at Oakland), Tom Izzo (30-Michigan St.), Mark Few (26-Gonzaga), James Jones (26-Yale), Randy Bennett (26-Saint Mary's), Leonard Hamilton (23-Florida St.), Scott Drew (22-Baylor), Bill Self (22-Kansas) & Gary Manchel (22-Mercyhurst).

Trailblazers in Home Openers
Utah Tech fell to 4-1 in home openers in the Division I era with its loss to New Mexico State on Saturday.

The Blazers have racked up wins over North Dakota (2020-21), Southern Utah (21-22), CSUN (22-23) and Utah Valley (23-24).

The Trailblazers had won five straight home openers before its loss to the Aggies with its last loss coming in the 2018-19 home opener falling 72-66 to Cal Poly Pomona.

Home Cooking
The Trailblazers are 165-55 (.750) overall at Burns Arena in the NCAA era.

Coming off a 6-7 mark at home in 2023-24, UT has recorded 14 winnings seasons in 18 seasons in St. George, including a perfect 12-0 in 2008-09.

The Blazers are 30-26 (.536) at home in the Division I era.

New Kids on the Block
The Blazers bring in five transfers in sixth-year guard Justin Bieker (San Francisco), fifth-year guard Hakim Byrd (Thomas Jefferson University/UMBC/Marist), redshirt junior forward Samuel Ariyibi (Washington), junior guard Britton Berrett (College of Southern Idaho) and redshirt freshman guard Dallin Grant (Utah State).

Rounding out the newcomers are five freshmen in a pair of guards Hunter Schenck (Pleasant View, Utah) & Madiba Owona (Bordeaux, France), guard/forward Preston Vandermyde (St. George, Utah), forward Bryson Bailey (Lehi, Utah) and center Pavle Misic (Nis, Serbia).

Bieker Sets New Career High
After scoring 66 total points in 65 games in his five years at San Francisco, Justin Bieker led the Trailblazers with a career-best 14 points in their season at Oregon State on Nov. 4 on 5-of-11 shooting adding three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

First Time Trailblazers Seeing Action
In addition to Bieker, seven other Trailblazers saw their first action as a Trailblazer at Oregon State with Ariyibi and Byrd getting the start along with Sammy Howlin, Misic, Berrett, Schenck and Grant coming off the bench.

Byrd, Bieker, Ariyibi, Schenck, Berrett, Howlin and Misic all saw action against New Mexico State with Schenck scoring eight points of the bench.

Gonsalves The Sniper
With 96 career games played, including 62 starts, Gonsalves moved into a tie for second in program history in career three-pointers made (150) on Saturday and also sits second in attempts (397) while ranking ninth in three point percentage (.378).

He is just 17 made three-pointers and 26 three-point attempts shy of reaching the top spot in both categories.

UT Picked Eighth in the WAC
The Trailblazers was picked to finish eighth in the 2024-25 WAC men's basketball preseason coaches poll, which was released on October 15.

Grand Canyon received eight of nine first place votes and 64 total points to be tabbed as the WAC preseason favorite, while UT Arlington (49 pts) was picked to finish second, followed by Seattle U (46 pts.), California Baptist (45 pts.), Utah Valley (38 pts.), Tarleton State (30 pts.), Abilene Christian (29 pts.), the Trailblazers and SUU (11 pts.)

What's Next
Utah Tech heads to Wyoming (2-0) for a contest on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie.