Utah Tech could not overcome a pair of long scoring droughts, and a suffocating Wolverine defense, as the Trailblazers dropped a 62-46 "Old Hammer Rivalry" slugfest with Utah Valley on Saturday afternoon inside the Burns Arena.
How it happened
The Trailblazers (5-12/1-3 WAC) had no early answer for Utah Valley's pressure perimeter zone defense, which forced 13 first half Utah Tech turnovers.
Seven of those miscues came in the second quarter, and the Wolverines turned that defense into offense. UVU (11-6/3-2 WAC) opened the stanza with a 16-3 run over a five-plus minute stretch to turn a 15-12 first quarter advantage into a commanding 31-16 lead with 4:23 to play until halftime.
Utah Tech, which was held without a field goal for nearly seven full minutes, finally saw a shot go down on its ensuing possession when
Emily Isaacson managed to break free for a much needed 3-pointer.
That three seemed to open the floodgates for the Trailblazers as they hit 3-pointers on four-straight possessions, three of them by Isaacson, as part of a 12-3 spurt that trimmed the UVU lead to 33-27 with 2:15 to go until halftime.
Utah Valley quelled the rally with six unanswered points, though Isaacson was able to bury her fourth trifecta of the period with 25 second left to get the deficit back down to nine. UVU would split a pair of late free throws and headed to the locker room with a 10-point cushion at 40-30.
Both teams struggled offensively to begin the second half, more so Utah Tech, which committed eight turnovers and was held scoreless for nearly the first eight minutes of the third quarter.
Brie Crittendon finally broke the drought with two free throws, which accounted for two of the three total points the Trailblazers would score in the frame.
Meanwhile Utah Valley scored the first nine points of the stanza, and despite going scoreless over the final 4:27, the Wolverines owned a 49-33 lead as the game moved on to the fourth quarter.
Utah Tech could not draw any closer than 13 points in the final 10 minutes as the Blazers were held to 16 total points after halftime in suffering their third WAC loss of the season.
Numbers to know
Isaacson led all scorers with 19 points, though she was limited to just two points after halftime. The redshirt senior forward went 5-of-9 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 at the foul line, and co-led Utah Tech with six rebounds.
Crittendon also scored in double figures for the second-straight game as she poured in 10 points with a pair of 3-pointers.
Utah Tech was held to 12-of-39 from the floor (.363), which included a 7-of-27 (.259) clip from 3-point country, and went 15-of-21 (.714) from the foul line.
Meanwhile the Wolverines managed 25 more shot attempts than Utah Tech, thanks in large part to 25 Blazer miscues and a 19-7 UVU edge on the offensive glass. UVU wound up shooting 31.3 percent (20-of-64) for the game, 22.6 percent (7-of-31) from the perimeter, and outrebounded Utah Tech by a 40-28 count.
Tahlia White led three Wolverines in double figures with 18 points.
Up Next
Utah Tech will make quick trip to the desert for a WAC showdown at conference co-leader Grand Canyon next Saturday afternoon in Phoenix. Tip-off inside the GCU Arena is slated for 2 p.m. (MT).
