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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech returns to the Burns Arena for a two-game Thanksgiving weekend homestand, which starts on Wednesday afternoon with a match-up against new Big 12 member Colorado.

Wednesday's game will be the second-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Buffaloes on the hardwood. The two sides first met in Boulder during the 2021-22, where the Buffs, who were in the PAC-12 at the time, posted a 78-53 home victory.  

Wednesday's game is the first of three games that Utah Tech will play against a Power 4 opponent. The Trailblazers are slated to play at Big 12 member Baylor on Dec. 18, before closing out their non-conference schedule with a home date vs. ACC member Pittsburgh on Dec. 21.

Wednesday's game marks the seventh time the Trailblazers will have played an NCAA Division I "Power 4" conference opponent. Utah Tech is 1-5 all-time against Power 4 conference foes, which includes an 0-2 record against the Big 12 Conference (Kansas State 2022-23; Oklahoma State 2023-24).

Wednesday's game also marks the third time Utah Tech will host a Power 4 school. Last season Utah Tech played host to both Oregon and Oklahoma State in the first-ever Trailblazer Classic. The Trailblazers opened their classic with a 92-86 win over the Ducks (12/19/23), their first and only win over a P4 school, before dropping an 87-61 decision to the Cowgirls (12/20/23).

OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (3-3/0-0 WAC) returns to the Burns Arena for a two-game Thanksgiving Weekend homestand, which starts on Wednesday vs. Big 12 foe Colorado (5-1)

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: The Trailblazers clinched a two-game road split against a pair of Southland Conference opponents with a 79-69 come-from-behind win at McNeese State last Saturday afternoon at Lake Charles. La.  
        Utah Tech rallied from a 22-12 first quarter deficit to take a slim 48-46 halftime lead. Nursing a 61-60 advantage through three quarters, the Blazers opened the fourth period with a 13-1 run, and outscored the Cowgirls 18-9 in the frame to escape with the victory.

21-FOR-22: Thanks to its road victory at McNeese State last Saturday, Utah Tech has now won at least one basketball game in 21 different states during the program's NCAA era.
        In all, the Trailblazers have played at least one game in 22 different states overall. The only state Utah Tech has visited and not won a game is Kansas, where the Blazers were handed a 91-82 loss at Big 12 member Kansas State (11/20/22) early in the 2022-23 season.

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.

GUSTIN FOR 100: Gustin collected his 100th-career win as Trailblazer head coach this past Nov. 16, with an 81-78 home win over in-state rival Weber State. Gustin has now tallied at least 100 coaching victories in each of his two head coaching stops (101-109 at Utah Tech; 2016-current / 146-83 at Westminster College; 2004-11).

HARTLEY AND IBARRA SWEEP THE WAC AWARDS: Thanks to the Blazers' road split last week, junior guards Chardonnay Hartley and Aaliyah Ibarra combined to sweep the WAC women's basketball weekly awards on Monday.
        Hartley was named WAC Player of the Week after averaging 17.0 points on 34.5 percent shooting (10-of-29), including 35.7 percent (5-14) from the perimeter. She also averaged 7.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in her two starts. 
        The junior guard, who scored 17 points in both games last week, dished out a game-high seven assists, and had four rebounds and two steals in the loss at Houston Christian last Thursday night.
        Hartley then tallied a game-high eight dimes, along with four boards and one steal in the Blazers' 79-69 road win at McNeese State.
        Meanwhile Ibarra earned WAC Newcomer of the Week accolades after she averaged 19.5 points on 52.0 percent shooting (13-25), including 40.0 percent (6-of-15) from the perimeter off the bench in Utah Tech's two-game split last week. She also averaged 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals. 
        After scoring three points with three rebounds and two steals in the loss at HCU, the junior came back in a big way with a career day in Utah Tech's win at McNeese State
        Ibarra poured in a career-high 36 points off the bench, including 18 second-quarter points, to go with three rebounds and one steal. She was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor with four 3-pointers in that second quarter blitz, along with a 2-for-2 effort at the foul line.
        In all, Ibarra hit on 12 of her 20 total shot attempts on the afternoon, including 5-of-11 from the perimeter, and went 7-of-9 at the charity stripe.

8 FOR 30: Ibarra's 36-point day tied for the fifth-most points scored by a Trailblazer in a single game in the program's NCAA era, and were the second-most points scored by a Trailblazer in a game during the team's current Division I era (38, Breaunna Gillen vs. UT Arlington; 2/24/24).
        Ibarra also became the eighth different Trailblazer to score at least 30 points in one game in the program's four-year era. In addition, her career day marked the 13th-time a Trailblazer had scored at least 30 points in a game overall.
        Former Utah Tech post player Haley Holmstead scored 30 or more points a school record six times during the 2013-14 season, during which she set the school's single season scoring record with 646 points. Holmstead's dominant season was highlighted by a school record 42-point effort in a road win at Fresno Pacific (86-84; 12/7/13).  

HOME SWEET HOME: Since joining the NCAA ranks in 2006-07, Utah Tech has played to a 143-76 (.653) overall record in 219 games inside the Burns Arena, which included an 11-5 mark last season.          
        Under Coach Gustin, the Trailblazers are 64-43 (.598) 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 90-129 (.411) record in 219 road games since the 2006-07 season. Under Coach Gustin, the Blazers are 33-61 (.351) away from home, which included 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.  

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 268-straight games, including 16 treys in the Weber State win (11/16), and a season-high 17 perimeter jumpers (17-of-47) in the 2024-25 season-opening victory vs. Northern New Mexico (11/4). 
        The Trailblazers shot a season-best 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from beyond the arc in the Weber State win. Meanwhile, those 16 treys continued a stretch that has seen the Trailblazers reach double figures in made 3-pointers 22 times in their last 38 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 105 times during its NCAA era overall, including 10 trifectas at HCU last Thursday night.
        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 476 of its 479 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 478 of 479 games during its NCAA era

RELEASE - ROTATION - SPLASH: Heading into play this week,  the Trailblazers are currently ranked SECOND-NATIONALLY, behind only Lipscomb, in made 3-pointers with 69, and second behind Tennessee in 3-point FG attempts (35.3 FGA/g).
        In addition, Utah Tech is fifth in 3FGM/G (11.5) and 136th in the Division I ranks in 3FG% (.325).  

HARTLEY'S ON FIRE: Hartley continued her torrid scoring pace to begin the season, during which she has scored at least 17 points in five of her six starts, highlighted by a career-high 28 points in the Weber State home win this past Nov. 16.
        The junior point guard's start had her join some pretty elite company as she became just the fifth Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to score at least 20 points in three of the first four games to begin a season. 
        Hartley just missed making it four of her first five games overall after she poured in a co-game high 17 points with a season-high four 3-pointers at HCU last Thursday night, which she followed with 17 more points at McNeese last Saturday.
        Holmstead was the first to achieve the feat, opening the 2013-14 season with three straight 20-plus point efforts, including a 30-point night at Cal State LA (11/23/13). 
        The three other instances have come in the program's new NCAA D-I era, most recently last season when Maddie Warren tallied 20 points against both Jacksonville State (11/9/23) and UNLV (11/14/23), followed by a 21-point day at Texas A&M-Commerce (11/20/23). 
        Meanwhile, twin sister Macie Warren turned the trick one year earlier in the 2022-23 season thanks to consecutive 25-point games vs. Benedictine Mesa (11/10/22) and Utah State (11/15/22), before pouring in 21 points at Kansas City (11/18/22).
        Also that same year, former Blazer guard Breaunna Gillen scored 20 or more points in four of her first five games, starting with a 21-point effort in the opener at Washington (11/7/22). Gillen followed that with 26 points vs. USU, 25 points at Kansas City, and 23 points at Kansas State (11/20/22). 

TRAILBLAZER PLAYER NOTES
* - Hartley has not only scored the basketball, she has also been a facilitator, having recorded 10 or more assists twice in her first five games this season.
* - Hartley opened the year with 10 assists in the Northern New Mexico win (11/4), then dished out a career-high 12 dimes vs. Weber State ... Hartley's 12 assists tied for the second-most in a single game in program history, and were one helper shy of tying the school record of 13 set by Gillen twice during the 2022-23 season.
* - Hartley now stands as one of only three Trailblazers to post multiple 10-plus assist games in a career, joining Gillen (2019-24) who did it nine times overall, and former guard Leslie Tademy (2014-16) who also did it twice in her two years at Utah Tech. 
* - Hartley begins the week as the WAC leader and THIRD nationally in assists with 49, and FOURTH in assists/game (8.2 apg) ... in addition, Hartley currently LEADS all of Division I in free throw attempts (58) and is 11th in free throws made (37). 
* - After missing virtually the entire 2023-24 campaign due to a season-ending knee injury, Isaacson picked up right where she left off, averaging 13.3 points through her first six 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 then enjoyed arguably her finest game in a Trailblazer uniform in the win over Weber State (11/16), against which she poured in 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 6-of-7 from the perimeter, along with six boards, three assists and four steals, highlighted by the game-saving steal on the Wildcats' final possession.
* - Isaacson (190 3FGM), who scored 15 points with three 3-pointers at HCU last Thursday night, enters Wednesday's game vs. Colorado only 15 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% (.398, 193-of-485), also needs 116 more points to become just the sixth player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
* - Isaacson is also sixth all-time in rebounding (466) and needs only 34 more boards to become the fifth player in program history with at least 500 career rebounds ... in addition, Isaacson moved into solo ninth place on Utah Tech's career steals list with 97, and t-fourth in career blocks (53).
* - 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 in the Northern New Mexico win (11/4).
* - Taylor went off for 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and seven boards vs. Stonehill (11/13), then followed that up with a career-high 17 points, including 4-of-4 from the perimeter, four caroms, three steals and two blocks in the Weber State win (11/16).
* - Prior to her career day at McNeese State, Ibarra enjoyed a breakout game vs. Stonehill (11/13), against which she poured in a game-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 vs. Stonehill (11/13) ... 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 ... she 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 Nov. 13 ... 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 479 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 ... 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 pulled down a career-high nine rebounds and scored four points at HCU last Thursday night ... she then went on to tie her season-high with eight points and had seven boards and three assists at McNeese on Saturday.
* - 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 picked off a career-high four steals and had two points, three boards and a block in a season-high 27 minutes vs. Weber State (11/16).
* - 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 also collected four caroms at both HCU and McNeese last week.
* - 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) ... Dallas knocked down a pair of threes and had four rebounds in the loss at HCU.

ABOUT THE COLORADO "BUFFALOES": Colorado travels to St. George riding a three-game winning streak, having won all three of those game by double digits, including a 95-65 home rout of Utah State in their last outing on Nov. 19. In fact, four of Colorado's five wins overall this season have been by double figures, while the team's lone loss came in a hard-fought 50-47 road setback at Boise State (11/10). 
        The Buffaloes feature a balanced scoring attack with three players scoring in double figures, led by graduate guard Lior Garzon (6-1) at 12.7 ppg on 41.5 percent shooting. Garzon is also CU's top 3-point threat (10-of-34; .294), and averages 3.2 rebounds a game,
        Meanwhile, fellow graduate guard Frida Formann (5-11), who missed the first four games of the season, has scored at a 12.0 ppg clip in her last two outings, and junior forward Jade Masogayo (6-3) is averaging 11.7 points on 57.4 percent shooting and 4.5 rebounds in six starts. 

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech wraps up its two-game Thanksgiving weekend homestand on Saturday with an afternoon tilt vs. Westcliff. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. (MT).