Despite three Trailblazers scoring in double figures, Utah Tech women's basketball saw its skid reach three-straight after a 71-57 home loss to UTEP on Saturday afternoon inside the Burns Arena.

How it happened 
The Trailblazers (4-7/0-0 WAC) went with a different starting lineup for the first time this season, and the move paid dividends in the early going.
 
Utah Tech got off to a good start from the perimeter as six different Blazers hit from three-point country (8-for-20), including three treys to open the second quarter, as the Trailblazers owned a 27-21 lead after a Chardonnay Hartley three with 5:51 to play until halftime.

Unfortunately that would be the last field goal the homestanding Blazers would knock down in the frame as Utah Tech misfired on its final eight shots.
 
Meanwhile UTEP (5-3) turned its stout defense into offense, outscoring Utah Tech 13-2 to close the quarter, and would enjoy a 34-29 advantage at the halftime intermission.
 
The Miners kept that momentum going coming out of the locker room, opening the third quarter with an 18-5 run to race out to a commanding 52-34 lead with 3:15 left in the stanza. 
 
Utah Tech managed to pull to within 12 on a couple of occasions early in the fourth quarter, but the Trailblazers could not draw any closer as UTEP did not see its advantage dip below double digits the rest of the way.
 
Numbers to know
Brie Crittendon paced Utah Tech with a co-game and season-high 15 points, which included a season-best three 3-pointers and a 6-of-6 effort at the foul line.
 
Aaliyah Ibarra, who was penciled into the starting line-up for the first time this season, added 14 points to go along with three rebounds and two steals.

Ibarra, who has now scored in double figures in six-straight games, also reached the 1,000-point plateau for her collegiate career when she drained the first of her two 3-pointers on the day in the opening quarter. 
 
Emily Isaacson (203 3FGM) moved into solo second place on Utah Tech's career 3-point list as she went 3-for-9 from downtown en route to 13 points. The senior also picked off a game-high three steals and pulled down four rebounds. 
 
Utah Tech, which struggled to find its shooting touch over the final 25-plus minutes of the game, shot a season-low 23.8 percent from the floor (15-of-63). 
 
The Trailblazer also tied a season-low with a 26.7 clip (12-of-45) from the perimeter on the day, as the team misfired on 21 of its final 25 perimeter attempts.

That all said, Utah Tech did shoot a season-best 88.2 percent (15-of-17) from the foul line and turned the ball over a season-low 11 times.

Portia Adams, Ivane Tensaie and Luisa Vydrova each scored 15 points to pace the Miners, while Vydrova pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. 
 
While Utah Tech struggled to see the ball drop through the net, UTEP shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the floor, which included a 10-for-28 (.357) clip from beyond the arc. The Miners also owned a decisive 49-31 rebounding edge, all of which offset 19 turnovers.  
 
Saturday's game was 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. 
 
Utah Tech has now lost three-straight in WAC/C-USA Alliance play, with the team's lone win coming last season at home vs. Jacksonville State (73-58; 11/9/23). 
 
Up Next
Utah Tech wraps up the road portion of its 2024-25 non-conference schedule at No. 21 Baylor this upcoming Wednesday morning. Tip-off inside the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas, is set for 10 a.m. (MT).