(St. George, Utah - Dec. 13, 2024) - A driving layup by Weber State in the final seconds of regulation handed the Trailblazers a heartbreaking 73-71 loss on Friday night at Burns Arena.

"We played hard. I loved how hard we played. Our offense sputtered a little, they shot 62 percent in the second half and defense wins games and that also means rebounding," head coach Jon Judkins said.

Utah Tech (2-10) returned home for the first time since Nov. 13 and were led by a season-high 19 points from Noa Gonsalves.

The senior guard was 6-of-12 from the field, nailed three three-pointers, grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists 

Redshirt junior Samuel Ariyibi had an all-around impact in the contest registering a career-high 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists, notched three blocks and added a steal.

Weber State (5-6) was led by 21 points from Miguel Tomley, who hit the game-winning shot for the Wildcats.

How It Happened
Getting off to a quick start to the first half, the Trailblazers led for more than 16 minutes in the opening half with 20 of their 30 points coming from Gonsalves and Ariyibi.

Jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead, the Trailblazers built a 21-13 lead, their largest lead of the first half, with 10:09 to play after a driving layup by Hakim Byrd.

A 13-6 run for the Wildcats cut the UT lead down to 27-26 over the next seven minutes.

A three-pointer by Britton Berrett pushed the Blazers back up four as a late fastbreak layup in the final seconds of the opening half by the Wildcats made it 30-28 in favor of UT heading into the break.

A back-and-forth contest in the second half, the Trailblazers surged ahead 54-47 with 11:31 to play after a three-pointer by Justin Bieker.

A 10-3 run for the Wildcats locked the game at 57 and after ties at 59, 61, 63, 65 and 67, a free throw from Ariyibi with 1:08 to play put UT ahead, 68-67.

Four straight points for the Wildcats pushed Weber State in front, 71-68, but a free throw by Ariyibi and a put-back layup by Tennessee Rainwater tied the game at 71 apiece with 14 seconds to go.

Down to the final possession, Tomley drove to the right side and laid in the game-winner for the Wildcats.

Numbers to Know

• It was the third all-time meeting for the Trailblazers against the Weber State.
• Ariyibi recorded double figures for the second time this season, surpassing his previous career high of 14 points set vs. CSUN (Nov. 24).
• Gonsalves has now reached double figures in a team-leading nine games.
• The Trailblazers shot a season-high 49 percent (24-49) from the field and 42.1 percent (8-19) from three-point range.
• Utah Tech held the edge in points off turnovers (16-10), bench points (13-6) and fast break points (6-4).
• The Trailblazers fall to 0-3 in one possession (3 points or less) games after going 3-2 in such games last season.
• The contest saw 11 ties and 11 lead changes.

Up Next
The Trailblazers continue their three-game homestand on Monday night hosting Whittier (5-2) at 7 p.m. at Burns Arena.