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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech opens the road portion of its 2024-25 schedule this Thursday night when the Trailblazers travel to Las Cruces to renew acquaintances with an old WAC foe in New Mexico State.

Thursday night's game is part of the WAC/Conference 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.

Also as part of the WAC/C-USA Alliance, Utah Tech will play host to UTEP inside the Burns Arena on Saturday, December 14.

Utah Tech improved to 11-8 all-time in season openers during its NCAA era with its 87-66 home victory over Northern New Mexico this past Monday afternoon.

Utah Tech also moved to 6-3 all-time in season openers under Head Coach JD Gustin. In addition, the Trailblazers are now 14-5 all-time in home openers in their four-year era, and have won seven-straight home debuts overall.

Coach Gustin enters this Thursday night's game at NM State looking for his 100th-career victory as Trailblazer head coach. Gustin, who just began his ninth season on the Blazers sidelines, is 99-106 during his tenure at Utah Tech.

OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (1-0/0-0 WAC) hits the road for the first time this season when the Trailblazers travel to Las Cruces to square off against former WAC foe New Mexico State (1-0). 
            Tip-off inside the Pan American Center (12,572) on the NM State campus is slated for 6 p.m. (MT).
            Thursday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+. For live streaming and scoring information, visit UtahTechTrailblazers.com.
 
UTAH TECH VS. NM STATE: Thursday night's game will be the fifth meeting between the Trailblazers and Aggies on the hardwood.
            Utah Tech is 3-1 all-time vs. NM State and has won three-straight games in the series overall, including a 90-57 home victory (2/11/23) in the last match-up back in the 2022-23 season, which was the Aggies' last year in the Western Athletic Conference.
            The Trailblazers are 1-1 against the Aggies in Las Cruces, with both of those game decided by two points. NM State claimed the first-ever meeting with an 84-82 triple-overtime thriller (2/10/22), while Utah Tech returned the favor nearly a year later with a 67-65 road victory (1/14/23). 
            In all, three of the four games in the series have been one-possession decisions, including the Blazers' first win in the series, a 72-69 home triumph in the Burns Arena (2/17/22). 
 
HEAD COACH JD GUSTIN: JD Gustin is in his ninth season as Utah Tech head women's basketball coach. Gustin has led the program to 37 combined wins over the past two years. 
            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 89-127 (.412) record in 216 road games since the 2006-07 season. Under Coach Gustin, the Blazers are 32-59 (.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.  
 
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 11 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 pair of talented walk-ons in Canadian prep guard Ellie Clawson (Fr., 6-0), and College of Southern Idaho transfer guard Makeili Ika (So., 5-4), who prepped at Lone Peak HS in Utah County.  
 
QUICK LOOK AT THE 2024-25 SCHEDULE: This year's non-conference slate features match-ups against three "Power 4" conference programs, two of which will visit the Burns Arena, along with games against one in-state foe, one more vs. the Mountain West Conference, and two games as part of the WAC/Conference USA Alliance. 
            Following Thursday night's game at NM State, Utah Tech returns home the following week to host Stonehill College (Nov. 13) and in-state rival Weber State (Nov. 16).
            From there Utah Tech starts a stretch that will see the Blazers play four of their next six games away from home. That stretch begins with two road dates at Houston Christian (Nov. 21) and at McNeese State (Nov. 23).
            The Blazers then come home for a two-game Thanksgiving weekend homestand, beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 27, with a marquee match-up against new Big XII Conference member and national power Colorado, which advanced to the 2024 NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Utah Tech will close out the holiday weekend with a Saturday matinee (Nov. 30) against Westcliff.
            Utah Tech will play three of its five December games on the road, starting with the team's second trip to the "Lone Star State" to play at American Athletic Conference member and 2024 NCAA Tournament team Rice (Dec. 4). The Trailblazers then fly back west for a road tilt at Mountain West member Boise State two days later (Dec. 6).
            The team will play two more non-conference games against Texas schools including its WAC/C-USA home match-up vs. UTEP (Dec. 14), and the non-conference road finale in Waco against Big XII power and preseason No. 12-ranked Baylor (Dec. 18), which also advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 
            Utah Tech will wrap up their non-conference schedule at home on Saturday, Dec. 21, when the Trailblazers welcome ACC conference member Pittsburgh to the Burns Arena. 
            Utah Tech then enjoys a near three-week break between games before opening WAC play with its fourth of five total trips to Texas for road games at UT Arlington (1/9) and at Tarleton State (1/11). The Trailblazers open their home WAC slate vs. Seattle U (Jan. 16), and will also host to conference in-state rivals Utah Valley (Jan. 18) and Southern Utah (Feb. 13) in league play.
            The 2025 WAC Women's Basketball Tournament will be held once again at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on March 12-15. 
            New to the WAC tournament this upcoming season is that the opening round games between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in both the women's and men's brackets will be played inside the Burns Arena on Tuesday, March 11. 
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 263-straight games, including 17 perimeter jumpers (17-of-47) in Monday's victory over Northern New Mexico. 
            That effort continues 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 471 of its 474 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 473 of 474 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 on 8-of-13 shooting to go with a game-high 10 assists. The junior point guard also collected five rebounds and picked off 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. Last season, Macie Warren went for 19 points and 10 assists in the Blazers' season-opening win over La Verne (11/6/23)
            Meanwhile former Blazer guard Breaunna Gillen achieved the feat twice, the first came as part of the first of her three career triple-doubles (14p/10r/11a) vs. Life Pacific (11/9/21) in the 2021-22 opener. Gillen did it again a year later in the 2022-23 opener at Washington (21p/11a; 11/7/22). 
            In addition, Hartley became just the sixth different player to score 20 or more points in a season opener in the program's four-year era, with Gillen (21 pts) being the last to do it in last year's opener vs. La Verne.
 
TRAILBLAZER PLAYER NOTES
* - After missing virtually the entire 2023-24 season due to a season-ending knee injury, Isaacson made her long-awaited return to the court in Monday's opener vs. NNMC ... The senior picked up right where she left off, pouring in 14 points on 5-of-9 from the floor with three 3-pointers ... Isaacson also picked off a co-game high three steals and pulled down five rebounds in 22 minutes. 
* - Isaacson became the eighth player in program history to reach the 800-point plateau after she tallied nine points on 4-of-8 shooting with a trey in last year's season opener vs. La Verne (11/6/23). 
* - Isaacson (181 3FGM) now stands just 27 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% (.396, 181-of-457), also needs 182 more points to become just the sixth player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau ... the senior moved up to seventh on Utah Tech's career points list (818) thanks to her 14-point outing last Monday. 
* - Isaacson is also eighth all-time in rebounding (434) and needs only 66 more boards to become the fifth player in program history with at least 500 career rebounds.
* - 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 ... Young, who missed all of last season due to injury, hit three of her four trifectas during Utah Tech's 21-2 first quarter run ... the 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. 
* - Crocker was also stellar in her Blazer debut 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, stuffing the stat sheet with eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, to go 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 in Monday's opener vs. NNMC.
* - Graham pulled down seven rebounds and tallied two points, two assists and one steal in 16-plus reserve minutes vs. NNMC.
* - Though Dallas was held scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting, the sophomore did collect four rebounds, two dimes and one block in nearly 19 minutes of action in Monday's opener.
* - Ika played seven minutes, mostly in the second half, and though she missed on both her 3-point attempts, she did dish out one assist and had one steal vs. NNMC.
 
ABOUT THE NEW MEXICO STATE "AGGIES": New Mexico State got its 2024-25 season off on the right foot with an impressive 57-49 road victory at UC Irvine this past Monday night. The Aggies held the Anteaters to just 16-of-51 shooting (.314) shooting on their home floor and outrebounded UCI by a 35-30 count.
            Senior forward Fanta Gassama (6-1) posted a double-double with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting and a game-high 16 rebounds to lead the Aggies, while graduate point guard Molly Kaiser (5-8) poured in 15 points with six boards and two assists. 
            NM State shot 40.8 percent in the game (20-of-49), though the Aggies were just 4-of-13 (.308) from the perimeter. However they did knock down 13-of-14 (.929) from the line in the road win. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech returns home to host Stonehill College next Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 13. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 2 p.m. (MT).