Utah Tech saw a furious fourth quarter rally come up just short as the Trailblazers dropped a 70-61 home WAC decision to Tarleton State on Thursday inside the Burns Arena.  

How it happened 
Both teams struggled offensively out of the gate, with the two sides combining for just 10 total points through the first nine-plus minutes.
 
Unfortunately for Utah Tech (5-14/1-5 WAC) it was the visiting Texans who were able to get their offense into gear, thanks to 3-pointers from Elise Turrubiates and Niki Van Wyk in the final 50 seconds to propel them to a 12-5 lead after one quarter complete.
 
Turrubiates struck again with another trey to open the second period, which sparked an 14-8 Tarleton (13-9/4-3 WAC) spurt that extended the Texan lead to 26-13 with 4:49 to play until halftime.
 
The Trailblazers managed to whittle the deficit back down to single digits after buckets from Mylee Graham and Aaliyah Ibarra. 
 
Then after a Tarleton lay-in at the two-minute mark, Chardonnay Hartley provided the Blazers' highlight of the half when she was fouled on a deep 3-pointer from the wing. Hartley, whose three-ball snapped an 0-of-10 Blazer start from the perimeter, went on to complete the four-point play to pull Utah Tech to within seven at 28-21 with 37 seconds on the clock.
 
Tarleton guard Miannah Little clapped back with a three of her on the Texans' next possession, while Nicole Willardson split a pair of late free throws that made it a 31-22 game at the halftime intermission.
 
Tarleton State took control of the game in the third quarter with nine-straight points as part of an 18-5 run, which turned a nine-point advantage into a 49-27 cushion with 2:44 left in the frame.
 
Ellie Taylor finally stopped the run with a lay-in, which was followed by an Emily Isaacson perimeter jumper. However the Texans closed the period with four-straight points and enjoyed a 53-32 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
 
Trailing by a 66-44 count with 4:51 to go, Utah Tech's offense, and defense, kicked into high gear. 
 
After a Hartley driving lay-in, the Trailblazer defense forced turnovers on consecutive Texan possessions, which Utah Tech turned into points with two Calyn Dallas free throws and another Isaacson 3-pointer.
 
Taylor and Dallas followed that up with perimeter jumpers of their own, all of which were part of a 17-2 run that pulled the Trailblazers to within seven at 68-61 with 51.7 seconds remaining. Utah Tech forced three Texan miscues and held Tarleton to just 1-of-5 over that stretch.
 
Utah Tech thought it had another stop after a Karyn Sanford perimeter miss, but Texan guard Arieona Rosborough secured the offensive rebound and drew a foul. Rosborough hit both free throws and Tarleton held on from there to close out the road win.
 
Numbers to know
Taylor led Utah Tech with 16 points, which marked the fourth time in her last five game that the freshman guard had scored at least 16 points in a game. Taylor went 5-of-9 from the floor and finished with three rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots. 
 
Isaacson added 15 points, also on 5-of-9 shooting, including a 4-of-8 clip from beyond the arc, while Hartley filled the stat sheet with eight points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. 
 
Brie Crittendon chipped in eight points and pulled down a team-high six caroms. 
 
After a chilly 2-of-13 start offensively, Utah Tech (20-of-52; .385) connected on 18 of its final 39 (.461) shots over the final three quarters. That clip included a 7-of-11 (.636) effort from three-point country after the Hartley second-quarter trey.
 
Turrubiates led all scorers with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting with three 3-pointers. Tarleton shot 45.2 percent (28-of-62) on the night, which included an 8-of-22 (.364) from the perimeter, and outrebounded Utah Tech by a 39-27 count.

Up Next
Utah Tech continues its WAC homestand with a Saturday matinee against second-place UT Arlington. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 1 p.m. (MT).