Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | WEBER STATE
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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech continues its stretch that will see the Trailblazers play four of their next six games at home when they welcome in-state rival Weber State to the Burns Arena.
 
The Trailblazers enter Saturday night's game looking to halt a two-game skid following a hard-fought 89-86 home decision to Stonehill College this past Wednesday afternoon.
 
Saturday's game against Weber State will be the third meeting between the Trailblazers and Wildcats on the hardwood as NCAA opponents, and will mark the second-straight season that the two sides square off in the Burns Arena. 
 
The overall series between Utah Tech and Weber State is tied at 1-1, this after the Wildcats erased a first quarter deficit en route to a 77-67 road triumph last season (12/9/23). That game was the first between the two in-state schools played in St. George since the 1962-63 season, when both institutions competed at the junior college level. 
            
In the first NCAA-era meeting between the two team in Ogden during the 2022-23 campaign, Utah Tech rallied from a 33-24 halftime deficit to edge the Wildcats by a 69-65 count (12/17/22). 
 
Head coach JD Gustin enters Saturday's game vs. Weber State one victory shy of his 100th-career win as Trailblazer head coach. Gustin, who is in his ninth season on the Blazers' bench, is 99-108 during his tenure at Utah Tech.

OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (1-2/0-0 WAC) hosts in-state rival Weber State (1-2) this Saturday night inside the Burns Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. (MT).
 
FINALLY ELIGIBLE FOR POSTSEASON PLAY: Not only is the 2024-25 season Utah Tech's fifth Division I season overall, it is also the FIRST season that the Trailblazers are eligible for NCAA postseason play. 
        The NCAA Division I Board of Directors officially approved Utah Tech's move to active Division I status this past June 28. With that confirmation, Trailblazer Athletics is now officially eligible to participate in all NCAA postseason championships in its 15 intercollegiate programs.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech was felled by cold shooting and a furious second half Skyhawk rally as the Trailblazers dropped an 89-86 home decision to Stonehill College on Wednesday afternoon in the Burns Arena.
            The Trailblazers owned a commanding 31-14 lead after one quarter of play. However Stonehill managed to trim that lead down to five before Utah Tech retreated to the locker room with a 51-44 halftime cushion.
            Utah Tech quickly upped its advantage to 13 points at 65-52 midway through the third quarter, only to see the Skyhawks rattle off a 23-6 run over the rest of the third quarter and the first two-plus minutes of the fourth to erase the deficit and take a 75-71 lead with 7:49 to play.
            The Trailblazers briefly wrestled the lead back at 78-77 with 5:26 to go, and managed to draw even at 86-86 with 1:04 left. 
            Stonehill went 3-of-4 at the foul line in that final minute, and Utah Tech was not able to get a possible game-tying 3-point shot off before the final horn sounded as the Skyhawks escaped with the road win.
 
LAST TIME VS. WEBER STATE: Utah Tech could not protect a first-quarter lead as the Trailblazers dropped a 77-67 home decision to in-state foe Weber State inside the Burns Arena back on Dec. 9, 2023. 
            Utah Tech led 23-17 heading into the second period, only to see the Wildcats open the frame with a 12-3 spurt. Weber State would go on to outscore the Blazers 24-10 on its way to a 41-33 lead at the halftime break.
            The Trailblazers made it a two-possession game with a bucket to open the second half, but the Wildcats rattled off a 20-6 run to open up a 20-point advantage at 61-41 with three-plus minutes to go in the third quarter. 
            Utah Tech managed to pare the Weber lead to single digits in the fourth, but the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as the Blazers lost their second-straight to open their pre-Christmas homestand.
 
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 142-76 (.651) overall record in 218 games inside the Burns Arena, which included an 11-5 mark last season.          
            Under Coach Gustin, the Trailblazers are 63-43 (.594) 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 265-straight games, including 12 treys vs. Stonehill last Wednesday (12-of-40; .300), and a season-high 17 perimeter jumpers (17-of-47) in the 2024-25 season debut win over Northern New Mexico (11/4). 
            The 12 3-pointers vs. Stonehill continued a stretch that has seen the Trailblazers reach double figures in made 3-pointers 20 times in their last 35 games dating back to 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 103 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 473 of its 476 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 475 of 476 games during its NCAA era.
 
TRAILBLAZER PLAYER NOTES
* - 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 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 was 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 at NM State (11/7), 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 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).
* - Hartley was limited to five points in the Stonehill loss last Wednesday, though she did dish out a game-high seven assists and picked off a season-high tying three steals.
* - After missing virtually the entire 2023-24 campaign due to a season-ending knee injury, Isaacson picked up right where she left off, averaging 12.3 points through her first three 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 (11/7). 
* - Isaacson (184 3FGM) now stands just 24 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, 184-of-465), also needs 159 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 (444) and needs only 58 more boards to become the fifth player in program history with at least 500 career rebounds ... in addition, Isaacson moved into a tie for ninth place on Utah Tech's career steals list with her 91st-career steal in Wednesday loss to Stonehill. 
* - 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.
* - Taylor followed that up with eight points and two steals at NM State (11/7), then went off for career-highs of 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and seven boards vs. Stonehill last Wednesday.
* - Ibarra enjoyed a breakout game vs. Stonehill, against which she poured in a game and season-high 23 points off the bench on 9-of-14 shooting, including a 5-of-8 clip from the perimeter ... Ibarra scored 15 of her points in the first half, 10 of which came in the second quarter that helped stop a Skyhawk run.
* - After missing the NM State game due to illness, Young posted her second-straight, 17-point outing in the Stonehill loss on Wednesday ... Young went 6-of-15 from the floor with three 3-pointers and a steal in 23 reserve minutes.
* - Young made her long-awaited Trailblazer debut in the NNMC win (11/4), 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) ... the redshirt freshman 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.
* - In all, the Trailblazer bench accounted for 45 of the team's 86 points vs. Stonehill on Wednesday ... the 45 bench points scored were a program Division I era high, and were the most bench points scored since the 2021-22 season, when the Blazer reserves tallied 40 points in a home win over Simpson (12/11/21).
* - Utah Tech has scored 40-plus bench points in 25 of its 476 NCAA-era games since the program transitioned from junior college to four-year competition in 2006-07 ... 23 of those occasions came during the Division II era, including five 50-plus point games, highlighted by a school record 59 points from Utah Tech reserves in a 93-54 road win at Chaminade (2/4/09) during the 2008-09 season.
* - Crocker was 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 (11/4), stuffing the stat sheet with eight points with a pair of 3-pointers, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block as an opening day starter.
* - Crittendon tied her season high with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting with five boards, two assists and two steals vs. Stonehill on Wednesday. 
* - 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) ... Willardson also poured in six points and pulled down three rebounds vs. Stonehill.
* - 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 (11/7) ... that effort followed a seven-rebound effort along with two points, two assists and one steal in 16-plus reserve minutes vs. NNMC (11/4) ... the freshman collected four more rebounds and had two points and two steals in 14 reserve minutes vs. Stonehill.
* - 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 (11/7). 
 
ABOUT THE WEBER STATE "WILDCATS": Like Utah Tech, Weber State comes into Saturday night's match-up looking to halt a two-game slide in the early going. The Wildcats played in a pair of lopsided games to open the year, beginning with a 94-41 rout of visiting Park Gilbert on Nov. 4. Weber State was then blown out at in-state foe Utah (46-86; 11/7), before dropping a tightly contested 66-63 home decision to visiting San Diego last Tuesday night in Ogden. 
            Junior guard Lanae Billy (5-7) is one of two Wildcats averaging double figures at 11.3 ppg on 46.2 shooting. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Taylor Smith (6-2) leads Weber State in assists (2.7 apg) to go with a 10.7 ppg clip, while senior guard Kennedy Eskelson (5-8) is averaging nearly a double-double at 8.0 points and a team-best 10.0 rebounds a game.
            Weber State head coach Jenteal Jackson (Westminster College, 2012) is in her second season at Weber State. Prior to her arrival in Ogden, Jackson spent 11 seasons on the staff at her alma mater, Westminster College, the last two of which she served as head coach (2021-23). She also played two seasons for the Griffins from 2010-12, including her first season for Utah Tech head coach JD Gustin, and was a teammate of Trailblazer associate head coach Nicole Yazzie. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will make the first of its five regular season trips to Texas next week when the Trailblazers open two-game road swing at Houston Christian next Thursday, Nov. 21. Tip-off inside HCU's Sharp Gym is slated for 5 p.m. (MT).