2023-24 Utah Tech Trailblazers Women's Basketball (16-11/10-6 WAC)
Game No. 28
at Tarleton (7-18/4-12 WAC)
Thursday, February 29; 7 p.m. (CST)
Wisdom Gymnasium (3,000); Stephenville, Texas
Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | TARLETON
Live TV: ESPN+
Live Streaming Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: AT TARLETON
Twitter: @UtahTech_Sports | @UtahTech_WBB | #UtahTechBlazers | #WACwbb | #WAChoops
TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech will close out its 2023-24 regular season road slate with its fourth and final trip to the state of Texas for a pair of games this week.
The Trailblazers will be playing game No. 8 of 11 against teams from the Lone Star State this season when they take the court on Thursday night at Tarleton. In fact, all four of the Trailblazers' remaining regular season games are against Texas-based schools.
Utah Tech improved to 5-2 against Texas schools after its 88-69 home win over UT Arlington last Saturday in the Burns Arena, and in the process clinched its second-straight WAC Tournament berth.
Saturday's victory was also Utah Tech 250th NCAA era victory overall. Since becoming a four-year program in the 2006-07 season, the Trailblazers have played to a 250-218 overall record (.534), and are now 46-45 (.505) in its brief Division I era.
The Trailblazers (10-6) enter Thursday night's game one-half game ahead of UTA (10-7) in fourth place in the WAC standings. Utah Tech is also two games back of third place Stephen F. Austin (12-4), and three games clear of sixth place Abilene Christian (7-9).
Utah Tech Head Coach
JD Gustin is coaching in his 200th game on the Trailblazer bench on Thursday night. He is currently 96-103 (.482) during his tenure at the helm of the Blazer program.
Utah Tech is the only team in the WAC with three players listed in the WAC's top-10 in both scoring (2.
Breaunna Gillen 16.9 ppg; 3.
Maddie Warren 16.4; 7.
Macie Warren 14.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (3. Mac. Warren .492; 5. Gillen .468; 8. Mad. Warren .440).
Gillen begins the week as the
ONLY player in the WAC who is ranked in the conference's top-10 in scoring (#2), FG% (#5), rebounding (#10 - 7.2 rpg) and assists (#1 - 5.46 apg).
OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (16-11/10-6 WAC) heads out for its final road trip of the 2023-24 regular season, which begins on Thursday night with a WAC match-up at Tarleton (7-18/4-12 WAC). Tip-off inside Wisdom Gymnasium (3,000) on the TSU campus in Stephenville, Texas is set for 7 p.m. (CST).
UTAH TECH VS. TARLETON: Utah Tech is 3-0 all-time in its brief series vs. Tarleton, which includes a convincing 75-48 home win in the Burns Arena this past Jan. 27.
This season also marks the first time in the series that both teams will have faced each other twice in the same season.
Last year the Trailblazers rolled to a 70-44 (1/26/23) home victory, which came more than a year after they posted a 57-49 road win in the first-ever meeting between the two teams in Stephenville during the 2021-22 campaign (12/30/21).
ONE GIANT LEAP: Utah Tech will do something on Thursday night that it has not done in its four-year era - play a game on Leap Day. The Trailblazers have played on February 28 just twice over the last 18 years, but has never played a game on February 29.
LAST TIME OUT: Breaunna Gillen poured in a career-high 38 points to lead Utah Tech to an 88-69 rout of UT Arlington last Saturday afternoon inside the Burns Arena.
Gillen scored 22 first-half points, and the Trailblazers needed every one of them as they found themselves deadlocked in a 38-38 draw with the Lady Mavs at the intermission.
The halftime break did not seem to slow the fifth-year guard down as she scored six of the Trailblazers' first eight points of the second half as Utah Tech bolted out to a 46-38 lead with two minutes gone in the third quarter.
UTA managed to trim the deficit to four at 46-42, only to see the Blazers rattle off a 13-6 spurt that pushed their lead to double digits at 59-48 with four-plus minutes to play in the period.
Utah Tech did not see its advantage dip below 10 points the rest of the way, and would lead by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter before settling for the 19-point decision.
HEAD COACH JD GUSTIN: JD Gustin is in his eighth season at the helm of the Utah Tech Women's Basketball program.
Gustin has seen marked improvements in each season on the Trailblazer sideline, culminating with an 19-12 overall record last season, 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. In addition, the Trailblazers made their WAC Tournament debut in 2022-23, and advanced on to the quarterfinal round by defeating Utah Valley, 72-68, to win their first-ever NCAA Division-I era postseason victory.
Utah Tech's 19 wins last season were the most in the program's current NCAA Division-I transition, and is the highest win total during Coach Gustin's tenure on the Trailblazer bench.
In Utah Tech's final Division II season, the Trailblazers played to an 18-12 under Gustin. The team also capped that 2019-20 season by clinching a berth in the 2020 RMAC Tournament, marking the first time the Trailblazers had qualified for a conference tournament since the 2013-14 season. The Trailblazers entered the tournament as the No. 7 seed, and shocked second-seeded Western Colorado in Gunnison, Colo., for a 65-60 win in the RMAC Quarterfinals.
GILLEN WAC POW X 2: Fifth-year senior guard
Breaunna Gillen picked up her second WAC Player of the Week award on Monday following her career day in last Saturday's win over UT Arlington.
Gillen poured in a career-high 38 points on 13-of-21 shooting with a career-best four 3-pointers (4-of-6), and went 8-of-9 from the foul line to pace three Blazer players in double figures.
The 2023-24 WAC Preseason Player of the Year finished four assists shy of her third triple-double of the season as she tallied a game-high 10 rebounds and six assists, though she did manage to notch her 11th career double-double. She also picked off three steals and blocked one shot for good measure.
Gillen's 38 points were not only the most scored by a player in the WAC this season, they were the most scored by a Trailblazer player in the program's brief NCAA Division I era, and the third-most in Utah Tech's four-year history.
Gillen tied former Trailblazer
Haley Holmstead, who tallied 38 points in a home win over Holy Names during the 2013-14 season (2/8/14). Holmstead posted the program's top-five all-time single game scoring marks that season on her way to a single-season record 646 points.
GILLEN NOW NO. 1 ALL-TIME: Gillen (1,517 pts) added another career accolade to her ever growing list last Saturday afternoon in the UT Arlington win when she surpassed the 1,500-point plateau, becoming the first basketball player, male or female, in school history to do so.
That achievement came on the heels of her becoming the school's all-time scoring leader for both men's and women's basketball one week earlier in the road win at Seattle U (2/17).
With her driving lay-in just 42 seconds into the third quarter in Seattle, Gillen moved past former Trailblazer men's basketball player
Zach Robbins(1,470 pts; 2009-14) to vault to the top of the university's career points list. Earlier this season, Gillen broke the Utah Tech women's basketball scoring record at home vs. California Baptist (12/6/23).
The 2023-24 WAC Preseason Player of the Year also stands as Utah Tech women's basketball's career leader in assists (524 – both M/W basketball career leader), triple-doubles (3 - both M/W basketball career leader), field goals made (575), field goals attempted (1,288), games played (116) and games started (93). Gillen is also second all-time in program history in free throws made (291) and attempted (398), and she is third all-time in both rebounding (570) and steals (126).
In October, Gillen was voted as the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year, and was named to the 25-player preseason watch list for the
Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year, presented by Her Hoop Stats.
Gillen was the lone WAC representative on the Hammon watch list, which included women's basketball student-athletes from 23 teams and 16 conferences overall.
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 257-straight games, which includes a season-high 21 treys in the Oregon win on Dec. 19, and a WAC season-high 16 3-pointers (16-of-35) in the road win at UTRGV back on Feb. 1. The Blazers also knocked down 11 treys vs. UT Arlington last Saturday (11-of-30).
The 21 made treys 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 on the day, 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).
Utah Tech has reached double figures in made 3-pointers 98 times during the program's NCAA era, including in 15 of 27 games this season, and in a school-record 19 games last season.
In fact, the Trailblazers broke single season school records for 3FGM (310), 3FGA (898), and 3FG% (.345) last year.
In all, Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 465 of its 468 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 2006-27 (vs. UHH, 1/7/07).
Meanwhile, Utah Tech has surrendered at least one made opponent 3-pointer in 467 of 468 games during its NCAA era.
RELEASE - ROTATION - SPLASH: Utah Tech enters Thursday night's game at Tarleton ranked
SIXTH-NATIONALLY in both made 3-pointers (280), and
FIFTH in made 3-pointers per game (10.4 3FGM/g).
In addition, Utah Tech is
t-FOURTH in the country in 3FGA per game (29.7 3FGAg), and
t-32nd in the NCAA Division I ranks in 3FG% (.356).
NEARLY A WAC RECORD: Utah Tech's 16 made 3-pointers at UTRGV (2/1) nearly tied a WAC record for the most made threes in a conference game in league history. Former member Fresno State still holds the record of 18 set during the 2010-11 season vs. Idaho.
However, Utah Tech's 22 made treys vs. LIFE Pacific (11/9/21) during the 2021-22 campaign is the overall record for most made 3-pointers in a game by a WAC team in conference history.
PERFECT 11: Fifth-year guard
Maggie McCord had herself a night in the win vs. Seattle U (1/4) as she set a school record by going 11-of-11 from the floor with four 3-pointers on her way to a career-high tying 26 points.
McCord, who tallied 26 points last year in a road win at, coincidentally, Seattle U (2/26/22), also pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds to notch her second double-double of the season.
McCord's shooting night bested the previous perfection record held by former Trailblazer
Megan Tidwell, who went 9-of-9 for 21 points in a road win at Chaminade (93-54; 2/4/09) during the 2008-09 season.
SINGLE DIGITS: Utah Tech's defense posted its seventh single-digit point quarter of the season in its road win at UT Arlington (2/3) when the Blazers held the Lady Mavs to just six second-quarter points.
Five of the seven instances have come inside the Burns Arena, including final three quarters vs. Bethesda (7/6/7; 12/16), and a five-point second quarter vs. Seattle U (1/4/).
The first road instance turned out to be historic as the Trailblazers broke a single-game record for fewest points allowed in a quarter when they held New Hampshire to only three third-quarter points in their win back on Nov. 22.
The Trailblazer defense limited UNH to 1-of-16 shooting in the period, this after the Wildcats missed their final nine shots to close out the second quarter.
Utah Tech's previous school record for fewest points allowed in a quarter was four points set three times - coincidentally all on the road. In fact, the last occurrence came last season in the Blazers' road win against Weber State (3Q; 12/17/22).
Meanwhile, the Blazers achieved the feat two other times during their Division II era, both in the fourth quarter of road victories at UT-Tyler (W, 75-41; 11/8/2019) and at Holy Names (61-44; 2/20/16).
DEFENSE BLAZERS DEFENSE (CLAP CLAP): Utah Tech begins the week second in the WAC (
50th in NCAA D-I) in FG% defense at 37.6 percent, thanks in large part to holding both UTRGV (.300) at UT Arlington (.316) below 32 percent shooting in a road sweep earlier this month.
In fact, the Trailblazers limited UTA to just 3-of-16 shooting (.188) and 4-of-21 (.190) from the floor in the second and fourth quarters, respectively, in that win.
Utah Tech has held five of 27 opponents below 30 percent shooting (all wins) this season, with the last instance coming in its home win over Tarleton (.250) back on Jan. 27. For context, Utah Tech only held two total opponents to under 30 percent shooting all of last season.
TRAILBLAZER PLAYER NOTES
* - Since returning to the line-up eight games ago,
Gillen has been on an absolute tear, averaging 19.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.0 assists over this current stretch, which has helped propel her into the WAC's top-10 in all three stat categories (see pg 1).
* - In addition to her just missing her third triple-double of the year at Seattle U (2/17), she also came within a pair of dimes of a triple-double at CBU (2/10) nearly three weeks ago, finishing with 17 points, a career-high tying 11 rebounds and eight assists.
* - That effort came after Gillen tallied scored 15 of her team-high 23 points in the second half of the Trailblazers' road win at SUU (2/8).
* - Gillen got that stretch going in last month's home win over Tarleton back on Jan. 27, against which she racked up 22 points and game-highs of 10 rebounds and seven assists.
* - Then four weeks ago in the team's last trip to Texas, Gillen netted 19 points on a sizzling 8-of-12 shooting with three 3-pointers at UTRGV (2/1), and followed that up with her second triple-double of the season, and third of her career, with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists at UT Arlington (2/3).
* - Gillen is one of only six players in the NCAA Division I ranks (second player in the WAC) with multiple triple-doubles this season.
* - Gillen's 131 dimes this season has vaulted her into fifth place on Utah Tech's single-season assists list (125) ... the guard now owns three of the top-five single season assist totals in the program's NCAA era, including her school record of 200 helpers set last season.
* - Gillen became the first Trailblazer to mess around and record a second career triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the Oregon win (12/19).
* - Gillen notched her first triple-double just over two years earlier in the 2021-22 season opener vs. LIFE Pacific (14p/10r/11a – 11/9/21).
* - Gillen (1,517 pts/570 rbs/524 assts) joined former Blazer forward
Johnna Brown (1,212 pts/726 rbs/232 assts; 2009-11, 12-13) as the only two players in program history with at least 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds and 200 career assists.
* - Gillen now has 26 20-plus point games (8 in 2023-24) to her credit, and including her 38-point day vs. UT Arlington last Saturday, she has now scored in double figures 80 times in 116 career games overall.
* - Speaking of dominant, sophomore guard
Maddie Warren is averaging 19.5 points on nearly 50 percent (60-of-121) shooting over her last eight games with four 20-plus point outings.
* - Warren (444 pts) moved into seventh place on Utah Tech's single-season points list after pouring in 16 points in the UT Arlington win last Saturday ... that effort came after she tallied 24 points at Seattle U (2/17), where she got off to a torrid start, hitting six of her first eight shots with four 3-pointers as she outscored the Redhawks 17-16 by herself in the first quarter.
* - Warren also tallied 22 points on a sizzling 9-of-12 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers in the road win at SUU back on Feb. 8.
* - Warren started this current stretch with a career-high 27 points in the Tarleton win (1/27), including outscoring the Texans 15-7 by herself in the decisive third quarter ... the sophomore knocked down 11 of her 16 shots, which included a 5-of-9 clip from the perimeter, and tallied seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and a career-high two blocks in just over 32 minutes of game action.
* - Warren carried that momentum into Utah Tech's Texas sweep earlier this month, starting with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four 3-pointers, along with six boards and four dimes in the UTRGV (2/1).
* - Warren then chased that with a game-high 25 points in the Trailblazers' victory at UT Arlington (2/3), against which she scored 19 of those 25 points in the second half, including eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in the Blazers' decisive fourth quarter.
* - Warren's 27-point day vs. Tarleton tied for the most points scored by a Trailblazer player this season ... twin sister
Macie Warren also tallied 27 points in a home win over Seattle U last month (W, 81-65; 1/4/24).
* - Warren recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 10 boards in the home win vs. SUU (1/18), against which she hit on 7-of-11 from the floor and just missed a triple-double with a career-high five assists.
* - The redshirt-sophomore guard, who leads the team with nine 20-plus point games this season, enjoyed a three-game stretch in November that saw her score at least 20 points in each of those starts, including a pair of 20-point outings against Jax State (11/9) and at UNLV (11/14), as well as the 21 at TAMU-Commerce (11/20).
* - Speaking of her twin sister,
Macie Warren will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign after suffering a season-ending injury late in the second quarter of the Blazers' road win at SUU (2/8).
* - Warren was in the midst of a brilliant sophomore year as she was ranked in the WAC's top-10 in scoring (8th, 14.3), FG percentage (3rd, .492) and 3FG made (t-5th, 47), and was 17th in rebounding (5.4 rpg).
* - Warren scored in double figures in 16 of her 23 starts this season, and had eight first half points at SUU before the injury ... she poured in a game-high 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting with four 3-pointers in the win at UTRGV (2/1), which was followed by a 14-point effort on 6-of-11 shooting at UT Arlington (2/3).
* - Warren started the new year off on the right foot with that 27-point night in the win over Seattle U (1/4) ... Warren finished two points off of her career high of 29 points she tallied last season in a road win at Air Force (12/10/22).
* - Warren is currently ranked seventh in program history in career FG% (247-of-531; .465), and third in career 3FG% (96-of-255; .376) through her first 58 games as a Trailblazer.
* - McCord scored all 19 of her points in the second half in the UT Arlington win last Saturday on 6-of-12 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers and a 5-of-5 clip at the foul line ... she also came within one carom of her fourth double-double as she grabbed nine boards and dished out one assist.
* - McCord's 24 points at Seattle U (2/17) also came up two points shy of her career high of 26 points, which she tied in Utah Tech's home win over Seattle U last month (W, 81-65; 1/4/24).
* - In fact, McCord first scored 26 points nearly two years to the day at, coincidentally, Seattle U (2/26/22).
* - McCord shot 8-of-13 on the day with five 3-pointers in the Seattle U road win, which marked the fourth time this season and the 19th time in her storied career that she had hit at least five 3-pointers in a game.
* - McCord, who played in her 100th-career game at CBU on Feb. 10, posted her third double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 boards that afternoon vs. the Lancers.
* - McCord she tied her own school record with eight made 3-pointers on her way to a then-season high 24 points in the Oregon win back on Dec. 19.
* - McCord's eight treys were the most made by a Trailblazer inside the Burns Arena, and matched her previous record-tying performance (8-of-10) during the 2021-22 season in a road loss at Seattle U (2/26/22).
* - Meanwhile, McCord's 24 points vs. Oregon eclipsed her previous season high of 20 in the win at Stonehill (11/25) ... McCord went 7-of-10 from the floor with six 3-pointers (6-of-9) and Stonehill, against which she finished with a co-game high eight rebounds, two assists and one steal.
* - McCord is currently Utah Tech's career 3FG% leader (.398; 187-of-467), and is ranked second in career 3FGM (189) and 3FGA (475) ... in addition, she is ranked fourth in career rebounding (495) and sixth in scoring (875) heading into this week's road trip.
*- All five Trailblazer starters accounted for all 88 points Utah Tech scored in the UT Arlington win last Saturday ...
Calyn Dallas tallied eight points along with a game-high four steals, and
Catelyn Deaver chipped seven points with four rebounds.
* - Last Saturday's game marked just the second time in the program's NCAA era (468 games) that a Utah Tech reserve did not score at least one point ... the other instance came earlier this season on the road at Stephen F. Austin (1/11/24).
* - Dallas poured in a WAC career-high 15 points at CBU (2/10), with all 15 points coming from beyond the arc (5-of-16), to go with six rebounds and three steals.
* - That effort came after Dallas went for 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting a pair of 3-pointers at SUU (2/8) ... that was impressive, but not as impressive as going a
PERFECT 6-of-6 at the foul line with the game on the line in the final 30-plus seconds remaining to salt away the big road victory.
* - Dallas notched her first collegiate double-double in the Bethesda win (12/16) with career-highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds ... the freshman went 10-of-19 from the floor with a pair of 3-pointers and flirted with a triple-double as she finished with a career-best six assists along with two blocks and one steal in just her second start of the season.
* - Dallas carried that shooting touch into the Oregon win (12/19) as she went 5-of-6 from the floor with a career-high tying four 3-pointers on her way to 14 points off the bench ... the freshman also knocked down four treys as part of a 16-point afternoon off the bench in the Stonehill win (11/25).
* - Dallas made the most of her Trailblazer debut as she poured in 15 points in 24 minutes in 25 reserve minutes in the La Verne win (11/6) on 5-for-5 shooting with three 3-pointers.
* - Freshman forward
Nicole Willardson enjoyed a breakout performance in the Oregon win (12/19), pouring in a career-high 12 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.
* - Sophomore forward
Alyson Deaver enjoyed a great "homecoming" at Seattle U (2/17) ... the Sumner, Wash., native poured in a WAC career-high 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, 10 of which came in the second quarter when she went 3-for-3 from downtown in scoring 10 of the Trailblazers' 23 points in the period.
* - Deaver made her first collegiate start in the loss to UVU (1/20), and responded with eight points, six rebounds and one block in 28-plus minutes.
* - Deaver put together her overall best game as a Trailblazer in Bethesda win (12/16) with a career-high 14 points in 22 minutes ... Deaver went 7-of-8 at the foul line and tallied eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block in 22 reserve minutes.
* - Twin sister
Catelyn Deaver also had a great trip back to her home state as she picked off a career-high five steals and tallied six points, three boards and a block in the Seattle U road win (2/17) ... Deaver's five steals were the most by a Trailblazer player since McCord collected five steals exactly 14 months to the day in a Utah Tech road victory at Weber State (12/17/22).
* - Deaver enjoyed her best game as a Trailblazer vs. UVU (1/20), against which she poured in a career-high 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting with a career-high tying three 3-pointers in 23 reserve minutes.
* - That effort came three weeks after Deaver tallied a then-career high 13 points with three 3-pointers at Florida International (12/30) ... Deaver also had six points, six boards and three assists in a start at CBU on Saturday.
TRAILBLAZER TEAM NOTES
* - For the first time in program history, Utah Tech had five players score in double figures in consecutive games in the home wins over both Bethesda and Oregon ... the Trailblazers have now done it three times overall this season as Utah Tech also had five players score in double figures in the season opener vs. La Verne (11/6).
* - Utah Tech also recorded a program first in the loss at SFA (1/11), during which the Trailblazer bench did not record a single point as all five starters combined to score the team's 67 points.
* - Utah Tech's 75-point margin of victory over Bethesda (110-35) broke a school record that stood for nearly 15 years ... during the 2008-09 season, the Trailblazers rang in the New Year with a 95-36 (+59) home win over Chaminade (1/3/09).
* - The Trailblazers also set another school record by holding Bethesda to just 16.5 percent (13-of-79) from the floor ... the new shooting percentage standard broke the previous record set during the 2021-22 campaign when Utah Tech limited Antelope Valley to a 19.0 percent shooting effort (11/20/21).
* - Utah Tech's 110 points vs. Bethesda were the second-most in a game this season and the third-most in the program's four-year era.
* - Meanwhile, the 35 points allowed vs. Bethesda were the third-fewest surrendered during the Trailblazers' NCAA era.
* - Utah Tech shot 54.4 percent from the floor (43-of-79) in the Bethesda win, which included a 10-of-35 (.286) clip from the perimeter ... the 43 made field goals were the third-most in a single game in the program's NCAA era.
* - The Blazers pulled down a season-high 64 rebounds vs. Bethesda (t-third all-time at UT) and recorded a season-high plus-27 rebounding margin (64-37).
* - Utah Tech also posted season highs in both steals (13) and blocks (10) in the Bethesda win ... in fact, the last time the Trailblazer defense recorded 10 blocks in a game was during the 2010-11 season (10 vs. Academy of Art; 2/12/11).
ABOUT THE TARLETON "TEXANS": Tarleton comes into Thursday night's game having lost four-straight and six of its last eight overall since they visited the Burns Arena last month.
Junior guard
Jakoriah Long (5-7) is the lone Texan averaging double figures at 10.6 ppg on 46.8 percent shooting, which is the best percentage among the Texans' regular starters. Long also leads the team in assists (56) and steals (23), and is Tarleton's top 3-point threat (23-of-63; .365).
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech closes out its final regular season road slate with a Saturday date at Abilene Christian. Tip-off inside Moody Coliseum is set for 1 p.m. (CT).