Utah Tech saw a double-digit first half lead disappear, and despite a furious last minute rally, the Trailblazers were felled in a last-second 66-65 heartbreaker to Seattle U on Saturday night inside the Burns Arena. 
 
The Trailblazers (10-16/6-9 WAC) enjoyed an early 21-8 lead seven minutes into the game thanks to the hot hand of Noa Gonsalves, who scored 10 of his team's first 21 points on 4-of-5 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.
 
Utah Tech would see its lead swell to 14 points at 31-17 with just over six minutes to play in the first half. However Seattle U (16-10/9-6 WAC) close the period with a 16-5 run to cut the Blazer lead to 36-33 at the halftime break.
 
The Redhawks managed to pick up right where they left off to open the second half, scoring eight of the first 11 points of the stanza to take their first lead of the night at 41-39 with 17:22 to play.
 
Utah Tech clapped right back with six-straight points from a pair of freshmen. Aric Demings knocked down consecutive jumpers, while Tennessee Rainwater followed with a floater in the lane on the Blazers' next trip down to stake his side to a 45-41 lead and force a Seattle U timeout.
 
After the Trailblazers pushed their lead to five at 49-44 on a Jaylen Searles lay-in at the 12:25 mark, Seattle U rattled off a 14-2 spurt over a near six-minute span to race out to its biggest lead of the night at 58-51 with 6:42 remaining.
 
Trailing 62-55 with under two minutes to play, Utah Tech started its comeback with two Demings free throws. Then after a pair of defensive stops that bookended a Searles free throw, Gonsalves found himself wide open for a corner three. 
 
The junior's shot rattled out of the cylinder, but caromed right to Tanner Christensen for the big offensive putback to pull the Blazers to within two at 62-60 with 50 second left.
 
Seattle U answered with a Kobe Williamson lay-in to go back up four, only to see Deming spot up for a straight-away 3-pointer on the other end to make a one-point game at 64-63 with 25 second to go.
 
Following a Utah Tech timeout, Gonsalves came up with the first of two big defensive plays late with a steal right after the inbounds pass. The junior collected the loose ball and drove to the basket, but his lay-in fell off the rim. However Searles was right there to tip in the miss to put the Blazers up one at 65-64 with 15 second left.
 
Then on Seattle U's next trip down the court, Redhawk guard Alex Schumacher drove the baseline and found Williamson alone in the key. As Williamson rose to take a shot, Searles collapsed down from behind at the last moment to deflect away the shot seemingly off of the Redhawk forward.
 
Seattle U was awarded possession and on the ensuing play, Schumacher sprinted into the lane and threw up a shot that slid off the rim. Williamson followed the shot from the weak side and dunked the miss with one second left to put his side back on top.
 
Utah Tech's desperation heave was blocked away at the buzzer as the Trailblazers were saddled with their second WAC loss of the week. 
 
Searles and Demings co-led Utah Tech with 13 points apiece, while Gonsalves and Christensen each added 12 points. 
 
Utah Tech shot 46.4 percent (26-of-56) from the floor, though the Blazers were just 4-of-19 (.211) from the perimeter, and had missed 14-straight from the perimeter until the Demings three-ball with 25 seconds left.
 
However Utah Tech was done in at the foul line, where the Trailblazers missed 11 of their 20 (.450) attempts on the night. 
 
Cameron Tyson posted a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead four Redhawks in double figures. Seattle U shot 39.1 percent (25-of-64) for the game and outrebounded Utah Tech by a 41-38 count, 14-9 on the offensive glass. 
 
Utah Tech will play the second of its two February road games next Saturday when the Trailblazers head to the Lone Star State for an afternoon tilt at UT Arlington.