Maggie McCord led four Trailblazers in double figures with a game-high 18 points as Utah Tech opened its final homestand of the regular season with a convincing 81-55 triumph over UTRGV on Thursday night inside the Burns Arena. 
 
The Trailblazers improved to 17-13 overall with the win, which also moved them into fourth place in the WAC standings at 11-8 in one game remaining. 

How it happened 
Utah Tech owned an 18-11 advantage after the opening 10 minutes of play, during which the Blazers held UTRGV (6-22/5-14 WAC) to just 6-of-16 shooting and forced five Vaquero turnovers.
 
UTRGV managed to flip the script to begin the second quarter, scoring nine-straight points, and 12-unanswered points overall thanks to a Vaquero 3-pointer that ended the first quarter, en route to its biggest lead of the night at 21-18 with 5:36 to go until halftime.
 
The Trailblazers finally broke through with an Alyson Deaver lay-in, which was quickly followed by a McCord 3-pointer and a Deaver trey as Utah Tech jumped back in front at 26-21.
 
The Vaqueros countered with a pair of perimeter jumpers of their own to wrestle the lead back, albeit briefly, as Utah Tech closed the half with 11-straight points and enjoyed a 37-27 cushion at the halftime break.
 
Catelyn Deaver started the rally with a 3-pointer, which was followed by McCord's third trifecta of the half, a Nicole Willardson triple, and a Breaunna Gillen bucket.
 
Utah Tech opened the second half by outscoring UTRGV 21-7 over the first eight-plus minutes, hitting five more 3-pointers, including back-to-back Maddie Warren long-range jumpers, followed by another Willardson trey, to open up a 24-point lead at 58-34.
 
The Trailblazers would see their lead swell to as many as 28 in the fourth frame before settling for the 26-point decision. 
 
Numbers to know
Utah Tech drained 18 3-pointers in the game (18-of-41; .439), which were the second-most by the Trailblazers this season, and tied for the second-most in a WAC conference game in league history.
 
Back in the 2010-11 season, then member Fresno State hit 18 threes in a WAC win over then-member Idaho. However two weeks ago, California Baptist broke that record with 22 made 3-pointers in a home win over Tarleton State (2/24/24). 
 
Utah Tech's 18 made 3-pointers eclipsed the team's previous WAC season high of 16, which was set in the Blazers' road win at, coincidentally, UTRGV last month (W, 91-55; 2/1/24). The Trailblazers' season high for made 3-pointers was 21 in their home win over Oregon (W, 92-86; 12/19/23). 
 
McCord went 7-of-14 from the floor, including 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, and finished with a team-high eight rebounds and three assists. McCord (915 pts) also became the sixth player in program history to score 900 career points, reaching that plateau on her first made 3-pointer in the opening quarter.
 
Warren added 17 points on 6-of-18 from the floor with five made treys, while she filled the stat sheet with seven rebounds, four dimes and a game and career-high five steals.
 
Gillen just missed notching her fifth double-double of the year as she finished with 10 points and a game-high nine assists, and Calyn Dallas tallied 11 points with three 3-pointers.
 
Utah Tech shot 45.6 percent (31-of-68) for the game, while the team went to foul line a season-low two times (1-2, .500).  The Trailblazers also collected 20 assists on their 31 made field goals and forced 17 UTRGV turnovers, which led to 19 Utah Tech points.
 
Jayda Holiman led the Vaqueros with 15 points on 5-of-10 from 3-point country. UTRGV went 22-of-67 (.328) from the field and was 7-of-26 (.269) from beyond the arc. 
 
Up next
Utah Tech will put a bow on the 2023-24 regular season on Saturday afternoon with a showdown vs. Stephen F. Austin. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 2 p.m. (MST).