(Vermillion, S.D. - Nov. 3, 2025) - The Trailblazers opened the season on Monday night with a thrilling 81-79 victory in overtime over South Dakota at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

Utah Tech (1-0), who won its season opener for the first time in five seasons, was paced by five Trailblazers in double figures.

Led by a double-double from sophomore guard Chance Trujillo, the transfer from Snow College finished with 17 points and a team-leading 12 rebounds while also leading the team with five assists and three blocks.

Freshman Tanner Davis came off the bench to also chip in 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field while playing 30 minutes in his collegiate debut.

Noah Bolanga, Ethan Potter added 15 points apiece while Jusaun Holt rounded out the double digit scorers with 11 points and eight rebounds.

"It was big time and you could not ask for a better game to start with," head coach Jon Judkins said after the win.

"I thought we executed well and it was fun to get a win. There is a lot we can learn from this film and we are excited to keep working."

How It Happened
Getting out to a strong start, the Trailblazers led 9-3 after the opening four minutes of action with five early points from Potter and a fast break dunk from Davis.

UT continued to lead by six midway through the half after a three-pointer by Holt pushed the Trailblazers ahead, 16-10.

A quick 7-0 run for the Coyotes gave South Dakota their first lead of the game, but a jumper and a three-pointer by Holt gave UT back a four-point lead at 21-17.

An 8-4 run over the next five minutes extended the Trailblazers lead to 29-21 with just under three minutes to play in the first 20 minutes.

The Coyotes refused to let Utah Tech push their lead any farther ending the half on an 8-1 run as the Trailblazers held a one-point lead at the break.

A three-pointer from Trujillo got the second half started for the Trailblazers as the two teams traded the lead back-and-forth throughout the half.

Another triple from Trujillo pushed UT ahead 56-55 with 6:39 to play and a layup from Davis and three-pointer by Bolanga moved UT ahead, 64-60 with 3:53 remaining in regulation.

A 6-0 run for USD put the Coyotes ahead 66-64, but a jumper by Potter ended the run and tied the score at 66.

A jumper by South Dakota's Isaac Burns put USD up by a pair, but again Trujillo found Potter in the lane for a slam dunk to knot the contest at 68 and sent the contest to overtime.

The extra session saw the Coyotes jump out to a 73-72 lead, but a three-pointer from the left corner and a layup by Davis put UT up by four, 77-73 with 1:10 to play.

A pair of free throws by Trujillo extended the Trailblazers lead to 81-75, but the Coyotes kept chipping away with a layup and a pair of free throws by Burns to make it a two-point game.

One final free throw attempt for USD fell short and Holt corralled the ball as the Trailblazers held on for the victory.

Notables

• It was Utah Tech's first win in a season opener since the 2020-21 season when the Trailblazers defeated North Dakota, 74-73 at home.
• It was the Trailblazers first road win since March 7, 2024 at UTRGV snapping its 17-game road losing skid.
• The last time Utah Tech had five players in double figures was Feb. 15, 2025 at California Baptist.
• The Trailblazers move to 9-11 in season openers in the NCAA era and it is the first victory to come on the road joining six wins at home and two at neutral site.
• The only other season opener to go to overtime in the NCAA era came in the 2017-18 season opener at Cal Poly Pomona.
• Utah Tech shot 45.2 percent (33-73) from the field, 25.9 percent (7-27) from three-point range and 61.5 percent (8-13) from the free throw line.
• The Trailblazers led the Coyotes in assists (17-7), blocks (6-2), steals (5-4), points off turnovers (21-11), points in the paint (44-42) & fast break points (12-0).

Up Next
The Trailblazers are back in action on Wednesday night for their home opener against Bethesda (0-3) at 7 p.m. at Burns Arena.