Brie Crittendon led four Trailblazers in double figures with 16 points to help lead Utah Tech women's basketball to a 69-55 victory over visiting Chicago State on Wednesday afternoon inside the Burns Arena.
 
The win not only snapped the Trailblazers' three-game losing skid, it also put a bow on Utah Tech's non-conference slate, during which the team played to an even 5-5 record. 

How it happened 
Utah Tech, which trailed only once at 2-0 in the opening minute of play, managed to turn a slim 14-12 first quarter advantage into a 35-26 cushion at the halftime break.
 
The Trailblazers came of the intermission on fire, hitting on five of their first seven shots with three 3-pointers, to open up a 48-32 with 6:31 remaining in the third quarter.
 
Crittendon, who scored eight of her game-high 16 points in the stanza, accounted for two of Utah Tech's three perimeter jumpers, while Kaylee Borden added five points in the rally with a trey of her own.
 
Chicago State (1-11) managed to pull to within 11 points later in the frame, but after two Chardonnay Hartley free throws, followed by another Borden 3-pointer and a Paige Cofer conventional three-point play, Utah Tech headed to the fourth quarter with a comfortable 59-43 lead.
 
Lauren Crocker opened the final period with an easy lay-in to extend the Blazer lead to 18. Then the offense went cold as Utah Tech misfired on its next 12 shot attempts, including 10 shots from beyond the arc.
 
Fortunately for the Trailblazers, the Cougars did not fare any better as they were just 3-of-9 from the floor over that stretch, during which Chicago State trimmed the deficit to 10 points at 63-53 with 1:53 to go.
 
That would be as close as CSU would get as Crocker and Borden both drained dagger 3-pointers on consecutive possessions. Utah Tech would cruise from there to close out its five-game holiday homestand with a victory.
 
Numbers to know
Crittendon's 16 points were one off of her Utah Tech career high of 17 she tallied last Saturday vs. UC Santa Barbara. The senior guard went 6-of-13 from the floor and stuffed the stat sheet with a co-game high eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
 
Meanwhile Borden added 14 points with a career-high four 3-pointers. Borden also grabbed eight boards and dished out four assists.

Cofer poured in 11 points to go with eight caroms, two steals and one assist, while Crocker tallied 10 points off the bench on 4-of-6 shooting.
 
Utah Tech shot 34.3 percent from the floor (23-of-67), which included a season-high tying 10 3-pointers (10-of-44; .227). The Trailblazers also dished out a season-best 20 assists on their 23 made field goals, including a season-high tying eight dimes from Hartley. 

In addition, Utah Tech won the battle of the boards by a 47-35 count, including a commanding 15-4 edge on the offensive glass. 
 
Chicago State reserve Kayla Mount led the Cougars with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting. CSU hit on 35.2 percent of its field goal attempts (19-of-54), and was held to just 3-of-13 (.231) from the perimeter. 
 
Up Next
Utah Tech opens its sixth, and final, Western Athletic Conference season on Monday, Dec. 29, when the Trailblazers make the short drive north on Interstate 15 to Cedar City to square off against in-state rival Southern Utah. Tip-off inside the America First Event Center is set for 6:30 p.m. (MT).