Utah Tech gave visiting Colorado everything it could handle, but the Trailblazers could not overcome an early first quarter deficit in dropping an 85-73 home decision to the Buffaloes on Wednesday afternoon inside the Burns Arena.
How it happened
Colorado (6-1) took a page out of Utah Tech's playbook to start the game. The Buffaloes knocked down five of their first six 3-point shots as they raced out to a commanding 22-7 lead with 4:38 to play in the first quarter.
The Trailblazers (3-4) shook off the early Buffalo haymakers and got their perimeter game on track, going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc as part of a 12-2 run over the next three minutes to trim the deficit to 24-19.
Emily Isaacson got the rally started from the top of the key, while
Aaliyah Ibarra connected from deep on consecutive trips down the court as the Blazers went back-to-back-to back from downtown.
After the Buffaloes stopped their drought with a bucket in the paint,
Chardonnay Hartley capped the rally with a 3-pointer of her own which made it a two-possession game.
Utah Tech managed to pull as close to four points at 32-28 near the midway mark in the second quarter after a pair of
Ellie Taylor free throws.
However Colorado clapped back with a 13-4 spurt to push its lead back to double digits before retreating to the locker room with a 47-39 advantage.
The Buffaloes began the second half the same way they started the game – with a made 3-pointer.
This time the Blazers were quick to respond, outscoring Colorado 10-3 to again make a four-point game at 53-49 after an Isaacson lay-in and free throw.
Colorado countered with eight-unanswered points to push its lead back to 12, though Utah Tech would close the third period with an 8-2 run to pull to within six at 63-57 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Unfortunately the Trailblazers could not draw any closer in the fourth quarter as the Buffaloes slowly pulled away and escaped with the Thanksgiving Eve road victory.
Numbers to know
Four Trailblazers scored in double figures, led by Ibarra with 15 points off the bench. Ibarra went 6-of-12 from the floor with three 3-pointers, and wound up with five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 32 minutes of action.
Meanwhile Hartley posted her third double-double of the year with 14 points and a game-high 10 assists. The junior point guard just missed notching her first career triple-double as she finished with a season and co-team high six rebounds.
Brie Crittendon enjoyed a breakout game, pouring in a Utah Tech career-high 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Crittendon also knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, including a clutch trey with 5:21 to go in the fourth that pulled Utah Tech to within points, while she finished with four rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Isaacson tallied 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with six boards, three assists, one steal and one blocked shot.
Utah Tech shot 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the floor, which included a 9-of-25 (.360) effort from the perimeter. The Trailblazers also shot a season-best 80.0 percent from the foul line (12-of-15) and dished out 21 total assists on their 26 made field goals.
Sara-Rose Smith, who hit three early 3-pointers in Colorado's game-opening run, led four Buffaloes in double figures with a game-high 21 points. Smith wound up with a double-double as she collected a game-high 10 rebounds.
Colorado connected on 34-of-74 from the floor (.459), including a 10-of-24 clip (.417) from 3-point country, and outrebounded Utah Tech by a slim 39-37 margin.
Up Next
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).
