Tuesday's game will be the second-ever meeting between the Trailblazers and Cowgirls on the basketball court. 

Last season, Utah Tech claimed a 79-69 road victory over McNeese in Lake Charles in the Trailblazers' first-ever game in the state of Louisiana (11/23/24).

Utah Tech remained perfect at home (4-0) to begin the 2025-26 campaign after posting an 81-70 win over in-state and former RMAC foe Westminster last Saturday. 

Utah Tech enters Tuesday's game vs. McNeese with a 97-97 (.500) all-time record against non-conference opponents during its NCAA era, which began in 2006-07. Meanwhile, the Trailblazers are 28-30 (.483) in non-conference play during their five-plus seasons as a Division I program. 

OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (4-2/0-0 WAC) continues its five-game holiday homestand this Tuesday night when the Trailblazer welcome McNeese (4-2) to the Burns Arena (4,779). Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. (MT).

      Tuesday night's game will be streamed live on ESPN+, and broadcast live on the radio on Utah Tech's campus radio station KUTU 91.3 FM.

WAC FOR ONE MORE SEASON: The 2025-26 campaign will mark an end of an (brief) era as Utah Tech will compete as a member of the Western Athletic Conference for the sixth, and final, season. The Trailblazers joined the WAC in 2020-21 during the first year of the program's NCAA Division I transition. 

GOING "BIG" IN 2026: This past June 25, Utah Tech announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the Big Sky Conference beginning on July 1, 2026. 

Starting in the 2026-27 season, 14 of the Trailblazers' 17 sports, including women's basketball, will compete under the Big Sky Conference banner.

HEAD COACH JD GUSTIN: JD Gustin is in his 10th season as Utah Tech head women's basketball coach. 

      In 2023-24, Coach Gustin guided the Trailblazers to an 18-14 overall record, including a 12-8 mark in Western Athletic Conference play, which was good for fourth place in the conference standings and a first round bye into the 2024 WAC Tournament.

      Along with the 18 wins last season, his 2023-24 Trailblazers broke school records in made 3-pointers (327; #1 WAC/#6 NCAA), points (2,343), single game points (116), field goals made/attempted (853/1942), 3-pointers attempted (945), free throw percentage (.736) and fewest turnovers (420).

      Gustin has seen marked improvements in each season on the Trailblazer sideline, culminating with an 19-12 overall record in 2022-23, 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. 

      Utah Tech's 19 wins that season were the most in the program's newly minted NCAA Division-I era, and is the highest win total during Coach Gustin's tenure on the Trailblazer bench.

TRAILBLAZERS PICKED SEVENTH THE WAC: Utah Tech was picked to finish sixth in the 2025-26 Western Athletic Conference women's basketball preseason coaches poll, which was released on October 29.

      Abilene Christian received two of a possible seven first place votes and 32 total points to be tabbed as the WAC preseason favorite, while California Baptist collected four first place nods to finish second in the poll with 31 points.

      UT Arlington (1 FPV/25 pts) was picked to finish third, followed by Utah Valley (23 pts) in fourth, Tarleton State (18 pts) in fifth, Utah Tech (12 pts) in sixth, and Southern Utah (6 pts) was picked to finish seventh. 

HOME SWEET HOME: Since joining the NCAA ranks in 2006-07, Utah Tech has played to a 150-86 (.635) overall record in 236 games inside the Burns Arena, including a 4-0 start this season.

      The Trailblazers hope the home-cooking trend continues throughout the 2025-26 campaign as Utah Tech's season slate features an NCAA-era program record 17 home games, while 22 of the Trailblazers' 28 contests this upcoming season overall will be played in "The Beehive State."

      Under Coach Gustin, the Trailblazers are 70-53 (.569) on their home floor and have won eight or more home games in six of their last eight seasons overall. In fact, Utah Tech has won 11 home wins twice during Gustin's tenure on the Trailblazer bench (11-5 in 2023-24; 11-4 in 2018-19).

AWAY FROM THE BURNS: Utah Tech owns a 90-142 (.388) record in 232 road games since the 2006-07 season, including an 0-2 start this season. 

      That said, the Trailblazers will not don their road jerseys again until their WAC opener at Southern Utah on Dec. 29. Additionally, Utah Tech will not leave the state of Utah again until mid-January when the team makes the first of three trips to Texas during conference play. 

      Under Coach Gustin, the Blazers are 33-73 (.311) away from home, which included a 1-13 mark last year, and a 7-8 road record during the 2023-24 campaign. In addition, Utah Tech is 22-20 (.524) all-time on neutral courts, 5-7 under Coach Gustin.  

FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 299-straight games, including nine treys last Saturday vs. Westminster (9-of-22), and a season-high 10 perimeter jumpers (10-of-28) in the season-opening victory over Northern Arizona (11/8). 

      The Trailblazers have reached double figures in made 3-pointers 30 times in their last 69 games dating back to the 2023-24 campaign. That number includes 11 instances in 31 games last season, highlighted by a season-high 17 perimeter jumpers (17-of-47) in last year's season-opening victory vs. Northern New Mexico (11/4/24).

      In addition, Utah Tech has knocked down at least 10 treys in 115 games during its NCAA era overall. 

      In 2023-24, Utah Tech led the WAC and finished the year ranked sixth-nationally with a school record 327 made 3-pointers, and broke a school records in both 3-point field goal attempts (945) and 3FG percentage (.346). 

      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). 

      In all, Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 507 of its 510 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 2006-07 (vs. UHH, 1/7/07). 

      Meanwhile, Utah Tech has surrendered at least one made opponent 3-pointer in 509 of 510 games during its NCAA era.

QUITE THE DEBUT: Redshirt senior guard Kaylee Borden continued her torrid start to her debut season as a Trailblazer with a career high-tying 25 points in last Saturday's win over Westminster. Borden, who scored 19 of those points after halftime, went 8-of-12 from the floor with five rebounds and two assists in nearly 33 minutes of action. 

      "Keke," who played four years at Nevada before transferring to Utah Tech ahead of this season, announced her presence with authority with a then-collegiate career high 21 points in the season opener vs. Northern Arizona (11/8). 

      Borden became just the seventh different Trailblazer to score 20 or more points in a season opener in the program's four-year era. In fact, the NAU win marked the fourth-straight opener that a Trailblazer had tallied at least 20 points.

      Borden followed that up with a team-high 13 points in the Omaha victory (11/12), which she chased with her first collegiate double-double with 21 points and a career-best 11 rebounds at Weber State (11/15).

      She then went off for 25 points in the Portland State win (11/22), which helped earn her WAC Newcomer of the Week honors (11/24). 

BORDEN JOINS ELITE COMPANY: Thanks to her 25-point effort last Saturday vs. Westminster, Borden joined some pretty elite company as she became just the third Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to score at least 20 points in four of the first six games to begin a season. 

      Former post player Haley Holmstead was the first player to achieve that feat, scoring at least 20 points in five of her first seven games to open the 2013-14 season, highlighted by a school record 42-point night at Fresno Pacific (12/7/13), on her way to setting the school's single season scoring record (646 points). 

      Meanwhile, current Utah Tech assistant coach Breaunna Gillen scored 20 or more points in four of her first six games to begin the 2022-23 season, starting with a 21-point effort in the opener at Washington (11/7/22). Gillen followed that with 26 points vs. Utah State (11/15/22), 25 points at Kansas City (11/18/22), and 23 points at Kansas State (11/20/22). 

PICKING UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF IN 2024-25: Senior point guard Chardonnay Hartley wasted little time returning to form as she filled the stat sheet with 19 points, three rebounds, four assists and five steals in the NAU victory (11/8).

      Hartley knocked down seven of her 13 shot attempts with a pair of 3-pointers, and collected her third-career blocked shot in that win. Meanwhile, her five steals were two off of her career high of seven set last season at Abilene Christian (2/6/25). In fact, Hartley has 63 total steals in just 36 career games as a Trailblazer.

      Hartley, who dished out six dimes to go with 11 points, two steals and one block vs. Westminster last Saturday, also became the sixth Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to reach the 200-assist plateau in the NAU win, and she currently stands in fifth place (226) overall on Utah Tech's career assists list. 

WELCOME BACK: Redshirt senior guard Maddie Warren got the starting nod in her first game back in the season opener vs. NAU (11/8), this after she missed the entire 2024-25 campaign due to injury.

      Warren marked her return with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals in 17-plus minutes. She also made a little history as she became the eighth player in program history with 100 career 3-pointers when she knocked down a perimeter jumper to open the second half scoring.

      Warren has scored 11 or more points in five of her first six starts this season, including a season-high 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting with two 3-pointers at Weber State (11/15).

      The senior guard also posted consecutive 14-point outings last week vs. both Arizona State (11/25) and Westminster. 

Warren, who has 109 made threes to her credit in 48 career games, stands two trifectas shy of passing another "Madi" in former Blazer guard Madi Loftus (110; 2018-20) for seventh place on Utah Tech's career 3FGM list.  

THROWING A BLOCK PARTY: Utah Tech tied a Division I era high with 10 blocked shots in its home win over Omaha back on Nov. 12.

      Junior forward Lauren Crocker led the defensive effort with a career-high four blocks, while sophomore forward Paige Cofer collected two blocks of her own, which was also her career high. In all, six of the nine Trailblazers who played saw time in the victory had at least one block. 

      Utah Tech went on to block six more shots vs. Westminster last Saturday, with four of those rejections coming from Crocker.

      Prior to the Omaha win, the last time the Trailblazers swatted away 10 shots came in a home win vs. Bethesda (12/16/23) during the 2023-24 season. The 10 blocked shots also tied for the second-most in a single game in the program's NCAA era, and marked the sixth time the Trailblazers reached double figures in blocks overall. 

      Utah Tech posted a school record 12 blocks in a neutral site win vs. Alaska Fairbanks (12/10/10) during the 2010-11 season.

TRAILBLAZER PLAYER NOTES

* - Hartley has now scored in double figures in 18 of her 37 career starts at Utah Tech with three 20-plus point outings, highlighted by her collegiate career high of 28 points along with 12 assists last season in a home win over Weber State (11/16/24) ... that double-double in the WSU victory was one of four she recorded in her first year as a Trailblazer.

* - Cofer posted her second career double-double with 10 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds in the Portland State win (11/22) ... nine of Cofer's 11 boards came on the defensive end, while she hit on 5-of-7 of her shot attempts, and tied a career high with two blocked shots. 

* - Cofer scored in double figures in six games during her debut season in 2024-25, highlighted by a career-high 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting with four 3-pointers and a career-best 11 rebounds at California Baptist (3/1/25).

* - Senior guard Brie Crittendon pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds to go with six points and three assists in last Saturday's win over Westminster.

* - Crittendon just missed recording her first collegiate double-double in the Omaha win (11/12), going for nine points and a season high 10 rebounds.

* - Crittendon flirted with another double-double at Arizona State (11/25), finishing with seven points and 10 more caroms ... Crittendon's 10 boards were one off of her then-career high of 11 set last year vs. Seattle U (1/16/25).

* - Crittendon tallied a season-high 13 points with four boards, two assists, two steals and a block in the Portland State win (11/22). 

* - Junior guard Calyn Dallas has knocked down two 3-pointers in three of her first six games to start the season ... Dallas scored a season-high 10 points off the bench in the Omaha win (11/12) ... through six games this season, the junior guard has accounted for 29 of Utah Tech's 92 overall bench points. 

* - Freshman forward Rose Boisnel made her long-awaited season debut in last Saturday's win over Westminster, against which she tallied 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers ... Boisnel also collected four rebounds, two steals and one assist in 21 reserve minutes. 

* - Crocker put together a solid game off the bench at Arizona State, pouring in a career-high 11 points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes ... she also swatted away a co-game high two shots, running her team-leading season total to 13 blocks in five games.

* - Crocker logged a career-high 27 minutes off the bench at Weber State (11/15), where she finished with eight points (2-of-7 3FG) and three caroms to go with her career high-tying four blocks. 

* - In fact, Crocker has posted four blocks three times this season, including her four blocks in last Saturday's win over Westminster, against which she scored six points and pulled down a Utah Tech career-high nine rebounds.

* - Crocker already has 17 blocks in six games to this point of the season, and 31 career blocks overall, which leaves her only three blocks shy of cracking the top-10 on Utah Tech's career blocks list.

* - Freshman guard Merceius Mili played 12 minutes in her collegiate debut game vs. NAU (11/8) and scored four points on 2-of-4 shooting with three rebounds, one assist and one steal ... Mili also chipped in three points, all at the foul line, along with two rebounds and her first collegiate blocked shot in the Omaha win (11/12). 

* - Redshirt freshman guard Andjela Colic enjoyed her best outing of her brief Blazer career, hitting for seven points on 3-of-4 shooting with a 3-pointer at Weber State (11/15) ... Colic dished out a career-best three assists and recorded her first two collegiate points in the second quarter vs. Omaha (11/12). 

* - Freshman forward Annalyse Shimada scored her first collegiate point and corralled her first two collegiate rebounds in the Portland State win (11/22). 

ABOUT THE MCNEESE "COWGIRLS": Like Utah Tech, McNeese has won four of its first six games to begin the 2025-26 season, which includes a 49-47 road victory at WAC member Tarleton State (11/16) last month. The Cowgirls travel to St. George in the midst of a five-game road swing, which got started with two-game split at the pre-Thanksgiving 2025 Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship last week in the Bahamas. McNeese dropped an 83-63 decision to then No. 22 West Virginia (11/24), before rebounding for a 76-66 triumph over Belmont (11/26).

      Graduate guard Arianna Patton (5-3) is the Cowgirls' leading scorer at 13.2 ppg, which includes a 15.5 ppg clip in last week's MTE to earn all-tournament team honors. Patton is also McNeese's top 3-point threat, having hit on 18-of-39 (.462) from beyond the arc in six starts. 

      Meanwhile, senior forward Lexi Alexander (6-0) is averaging 10.3 ppg on 46.2 percent shooting (24-of-52) and is McNeese's leading rebounder (5.8 rpg). 

NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech reaches the midway point of its 2025 holiday homestand this Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers play host to former WAC foe New Mexico State. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 2 p.m. (MT).