Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | STONEHILL - PDF
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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech begins a stretch that will see the Trailblazers play four of their next six games inside the Burns Arena, starting with a Wednesday matinee vs. Stonehill College. 
 
The Trailblazers head into Wednesday's game looking to bounce back from a tough 85-63 road loss at former WAC member New Mexico State last Thursday night in Las Cruces. 
 
The NM State game was part of the WAC/C-USA Alliance, which was established last season as a scheduling partnership between the two of the fastest rising conferences in NCAA Division I college basketball. 
 
Utah Tech fell to 2-17 all-time in road openers after its loss at NM State last Thursday night. The last time the Trailblazers managed to post a road-opening victory came at the start of the 2011-12 season in a 77-62 triumph at Alaska-Fairbanks (11/11/11). Utah Tech also claimed a 71-67 road victory at Utah State (11/12/10) one year earlier to kick-off the 2010-11 campaign.
 
Head coach JD Gustin enters Wednesday's game vs. Stonehill looking for his 100th-career victory as Trailblazer head coach. Gustin, who just began his ninth season on the Blazers' bench, is 99-107 during his tenure at Utah Tech.
 
OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (1-1/0-0 WAC) returns home for a Wednesday matinee vs. Stonehill College (1-1). Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 2 p.m. (MT).
            Wednesday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+. For live streaming and scoring information, visit UtahTechTrailblazers.com.
 
UTAH TECH VS. STONEHILL: Wednesday's game will be the second-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Skyhawks on the basketball court.
            Last season the first game of a home-and-home series with Stonehill, the Blazers knocked down seven of their first 10 shots and led wire-to-wire in an 81-58 road win in the program's first-ever game played in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
            Meanwhile, Wednesday's game will mark the first time the Skyhawks will have played a game in the State of Utah.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech was tripped up by cold shooting and 23 turnovers as the Trailblazers suffered their first loss of the 2024-25 season, 85-63, at New Mexico State last Thursday night inside the Pan American Center. 
            The Trailblazers had a hard time solving NM State's pressure defense, which forced seven first quarter turnovers and 13 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes of play. 
            Despite the early miscues, Utah Tech (1-1) managed to keep pace with the Aggies, thanks in large part to junior point guard Chardonnay Hartley, who scored 12 first-quarter points.
            Meanwhile, Emily Isaacson and Ellie Taylor both connected from three-point country, with Taylor's trey drawing Utah Tech even at 20-20 with 1:52 to play in the frame.
            However from there it was all Aggies as they broke the game open with a 16-4 run that stretched over the final two minutes of the first quarter, and the opening three-plus minutes of the second, to bolt to a commanding 38-24 lead with 5:08 to go until halftime.
            The Aggies never saw their lead dip below double digits the rest of the way as they cruised to the win in their home opener.
 
HEAD COACH JD GUSTIN: JD Gustin is in his ninth season as Utah Tech head women's basketball coach. 
            Last season, Coach Gustin guided the Trailblazers to an 18-14 overall record, including a 12-8 mark in Western Athletic Conference play, which was good for fourth place in the conference standings and a first round bye into the 2024 WAC Tournament.
            Along with the 18 wins last season, his 2023-24 Trailblazers broke school records in made 3-pointers (327; #1 WAC/#6 NCAA), points (2,343), single game points (116), field goals made/attempted (853/1942), 3-pointers attempted (945), free throw percentage (.736) and fewest turnovers (420).
            Gustin has seen marked improvements in each season on the Trailblazer sideline, culminating with an 19-12 overall record in 2022-23, 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. 
            Utah Tech's 19 wins that season were the most in the program's newly minted NCAA Division-I era, and is the highest win total during Coach Gustin's tenure on the Trailblazer bench. 
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Since joining the NCAA ranks in 2006-07, Utah Tech has played to a 142-75 (.654) overall record in 217 games inside the Burns Arena, which included an 11-5 mark last season.          
            Under Coach Gustin, the Trailblazers are 63-42 (.600) on their home floor and have won eight or more home games in six of their last seven seasons overall. In fact, Utah Tech's 11 home wins last season tied for the most during Gustin's tenure (11-4 in 2018-19) on the Trailblazer bench.
 
AWAY FROM THE BURNS: Utah Tech owns an 89-128 (.410) record in 217 road games since the 2006-07 season. Under Coach Gustin, the Blazers are 32-60 (.348) away from home, which includes a 7-8 road mark last season. In addition, Utah Tech is 22-19 (.538) on neutral courts, 4-5 under Coach Gustin.
 
TRAILBLAZERS PICKED SEVENTH THE WAC: Utah Tech was picked to finish seventh in the 2024-25 Western Athletic Conference women's basketball preseason coaches poll, which was released this past October 16.
            Grand Canyon received four of a possible nine first place votes and 59 total points to be tabbed as the WAC preseason favorite, while defending conference regular season and tournament champion California Baptist collected four first place nods to finish second in the poll with 58 points.
            UT Arlington (1 FPV/53 pts) was picked to finish third, followed by Abilene Christian (37 pts) in fourth, Southern Utah (33 pts) in fifth, Tarleton State (28 pts) in sixth, Utah Tech (24 pts) in seventh, Utah Valley (17 pts) in eighth, and Seattle U (15 pts) was picked to finish ninth.  
 
2024-25 SEASON PREVIEW: Utah Tech returned three starters, along with five total letter winners and one redshirt from last year's squad, which concluded its fourth season of NCAA Division I play with a 18-14 overall record. 
            The Trailblazers posted a fourth-place finish in the WAC Conference standings (12-8), which earned them a first-round bye. However the short-handed Blazers were handed a 72-57 quarterfinal loss by UT Arlington in the 2024 WAC tournament. 
            Though Utah Tech returns three starters from last season's club, sophomore guard Calyn Dallas (6-1) will be the lone starter who will suit up this season. 
            Dallas played in all 32 games with 18 starts as a true freshman, and averaged 7.7 points on 43.8 percent shooting (88-of-201) and 3.7 rebounds a game. Dallas, who knocked down hit 55 3-pointers (55-of-154; .357) in her debut season, posted her first collegiate double-double with career highs of 22 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in the home win over Bethesda (12/16), and led Utah Tech with 21 points in the Trailblazers' WAC tourney loss to UT Arlington (3/14). In all, she scored in double figures in 12 games in her debut season. 
            Meanwhile, redshirt junior guards Macie Warren (5-10) and Maddie Warren (5-10) both return, but the twin sisters are coming off season-ending injuries suffered late last season and will sit out the 2024-25 season as medical redshirts. 
            Utah Tech has only one senior on its roster this season, that being redshirt senior Emily Isaacson (5-11), who returns after suffering a season-ending in the second game of the 2023-24 campaign. 
            A 2022 all-WAC selection, Isaacson enters her final season as the program's all-time career 3FG percentage leader (.396) and is second all-time in career 3-pointers made (178). The senior is also ranked seventh in school history in points (804) and eighth in rebounds (429).
            In addition, Utah Tech welcomes back sophomore post player Nicole Willardson (6-4), who averaged 2.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 29 games during her collegiate debut season, along with redshirt freshman Kastyn Young (5-11). 
            The Trailblazers brought in 12 newcomers to their program ahead of the 2024-25 season, four of whom were signed off the transfer portal, including junior point guard Chardonnay Hartley (5-3) from Niagara, redshirt junior guard Brie Crittendon (5-10) from Eastern Kentucky, sophomore forward Lauren Crocker (6-4) from Utah State, and redshirt sophomore guard Mattie Olson (5-8) from Montana State.
            Utah Tech also signed College of Southern Nevada junior transfer guard Aaliyah Ibarra (5-8), along with Utah prepster Ellie Taylor (G, 5-10) from Copper Hills HS, and Idaho high school standouts Paige Cofer (F, 6-0) from Eagle HS, and Mylee Graham (G/F, 6-0) from Rigby HS. 
            Additionally, Utah Tech went international by signing Serbian guard Andjela Colic (Fr., 5-7), and added a three talented walk-ons in Canadian prep guard Ellie Clawson (Fr., 6-0), College of Southern Idaho transfer guard Makeili Ika (So., 5-4), who prepped at Lone Peak HS in Utah County, and Herriman HS (UT) product Halli Burbidge (G/Fr.; 5-10).   
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 264-straight games, including six treys at NM State last Thursday (6-of-20; .300), and 17 perimeter jumpers (17-of-47) in the season-opening win over Northern New Mexico (11/4). 
            The 17 3-pointers vs. NNMC continued a trend that saw the Trailblazers reach double figures in made 3-pointers 18 times in 32 games last season, highlighted by a season-best 21 3-pointers in its home win over Oregon (12/19/23). 
            In fact, the Trailblazers have knocked down at least 10 treys 102 times during its NCAA era overall.
            Last season Utah Tech led the WAC and finished the year ranked sixth-nationally with a school record 327 made 3-pointers, and broke a school records in both 3-point field goal attempts (945) and 3FG percentage (.346). 
            The 21 made treys last year 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 vs. the Ducks, 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). 
            In all, Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 472 of its 475 games during its NCAA era, which began in the 2006-07 season.
            Two of the three instances when the Blazers did not hit a 3-pointer 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 2006-07 (vs. UHH, 1/7/07). 
            Meanwhile, Utah Tech has surrendered at least one made opponent 3-pointer in 474 of 475 games during its NCAA era.
 
20-PLUS AND 10: Hartley shined in her Trailblazer debut as she posted her first collegiate double-double with 21 points and a game-high 10 assists in the Northern New Mexico win back on Nov. 4. The junior point guard knocked went 8-of-13 from the floor, and also collected five rebounds and three steals in a game-high 31 minutes of action.
            Hartley became just the fifth different player in Utah Tech's NCAA era to record a double-double in a season-opening game, and she is the third Trailblazer to register a double-double in points and assists in a season opener. 
            Hartley followed that up with a team and season-high 23 points last Thursday at NM State, including 12-of-19 at the foul line. The junior's 12 made free throws tied for the third-most by a Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era, while her 19 attempts broke the Utah Tech four-year single game school record. Hartley also dished out a game-high five assists and pulled down two rebounds.
            In addition, Hartley became just the fourth Trailblazer in the program's four-year era to open a season with consecutive 20-point games, and the second to do it in the program's current NCAA Division I era. Former Utah Tech guard Breaunna Gillen was the last Trailblazer to achieve the feat, doing so last year against both La Verne (21 points; 11/6/23) and Jacksonville State (24 points; 11/9/23).
  
TRAILBLAZER PLAYER NOTES
* - After missing virtually the entire 2023-24 season due to a season-ending knee injury, Isaacson picked up right where she left off, averaging 15.0 points through her first two games ... Isaacson opened the season with 14 points on 5-of-9 from the floor with three 3-pointers in the NNMC win (11/4) ... Isaacson also picked off a co-game high three steals and pulled down five rebounds in 22 minutes. 
* - Isaacson followed that up with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting with a pair of treys, four rebounds, three dimes and a game-high five steals at New Mexico State last Thursday. 
* - Isaacson (183 3FGM) now stands just 25 made 3-pointers shy of passing former Trailblazer guard Kaylah Miller (207; 2011-15) to become Utah Tech's career 3FGM leader.
* - Isaacson, who is already the program's all-time leader in 3FG% (.395, 183-of-463), also needs 166 more points to become just the sixth player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
* - Isaacson is also eighth all-time in rebounding (438) and needs only 62 more boards to become the fifth player in program history with at least 500 career rebounds ... in addition, Isaacson (90) needs only two more steals to vault into ninth place on Utah Tech's career steals list.
* - Young also made her long-awaited Trailblazer debut, and she did not disappoint as she knocked down a co-game high four 3-pointers en route to 17 points off the bench in the NNMC win (11/4) ... Young, who DNP'd at NM State (illness) and missed all of last season due to injury, hit three of her four trifectas during Utah Tech's 21-2 first quarter run ... the redshirt freshman wound up going 6-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-11 from the perimeter.
* - Taylor got the starting nod in her collegiate debut, and she proceeded to fill the stat sheet with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots ... the freshman followed that up with eight points and two steals at NM State last Thursday. 
* - Crocker was also stellar in her Blazer debut vs. NNMC (11/4) with 10 points, eight boards and two blocks of her own ... Crocker drained a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers, both of which came during Utah Tech's big run.
* - Crittendon enjoyed a solid Trailblazer debut in the NNMC win, stuffing the stat sheet with eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, to go with six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block as an opening day starter.
* - Willardson led the Trailblazers' rebounding effort with a career-high nine caroms and hit on 2-of-7 from the floor for four points vs. NNMC (11/4).
* - Graham continued to be a rebounding machine off the bench in the early going as she pulled down a team and season-high nine boards and scored four points at NM State ... that effort followed a seven-rebound effort along with two points, two assists and one steal in 16-plus reserve minutes vs. NNMC.
* - After being held scoreless in the opener vs. NNMC, Dallas bounced back with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting, along with two boards and two steals at NM State. 
 
ABOUT THE STONEHILL COLLEGE "SKYHAWKS": Like Utah Tech, Stonehill came away with a season-opening split of two games last week. The Skyhawks began their third NCAA Division I reclassification season with a 68-45 road loss at Rhode Island (11/4), before bouncing back with a decisive 79-36 home rout of Emmanuel (MA) last Thursday night. 
            Sophomore guard Brooke Paquette (5-8) is one of three Skyhawks averaging double figures at 14.5 ppg on 40.0 shooting. Paquette also leads the team, and the Northeast Conference, in both assists (7.0 apg) and steals (3.5 spg) in the early going. Meanwhile, graduate center Kylie Swider (6-4) is Stonehill's leading rebounder (6.0 rpg) to go along with her 10.5 ppg average. 
            Stonehill head coach Trisha Brown (Harvard/1987) is in her 24th year patrolling the Skyhawk sidelines. Coach Brown is also the aunt of former Trailblazer women's basketball and softball player, and Utah Tech Athletics Hall of Famer Johnna Brown (2009-11, 2012-13).
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech continues its homestand this Saturday night when the Trailblazers host in-state rival Weber State. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is slated for 7 p.m. (MT).