(Stephenville, Texas - Jan. 31, 2026) - Behind a career-high 23 points from sophomore guard
Noah Bolanga, the Trailblazers held on to defeat Tarleton State, 65-59 on Saturday afternoon at the EECU Center.
Utah Tech (13-11, 6-4 WAC), who defeated the Texans for the first time ever on the road, were led by Bolanga's standout performance as the French native finished 9-of-13 from the field & 4-of-5 from behind the arc and added seven rebounds, three steals and three assists.
The Trailblazers were also paced by nine points apiece from
Jusaun Holt,
Britton Berrett and
Dario Domingos and
Chance Trujillo tacked on eight points and three assists.
Winning for the first time this season after trailing at halftime, the Trailblazers shot 50 percent (25-50) from field and tied a season high with 12 three-pointers made in 24 attempts.
Tarleton State (11-11, 2-7 WAC) was led by 16 points from Cam McDowell and Ocypher Owens tallied 12 points.
Chris Mpaka nearly missed a double-double finishing with nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
How It Happened
Falling behind 13-7 in the early going to the Texans after the first five minutes, an 8-1 run for the Trailblazers put UT ahead, 15-14 after a three-point play by Domingos.
A 7-0 run for the Texans pushed Tarleton back in front by six (21-15), but a 9-3 run for the Trailblazers, getting all nine points by three-pointers, knotted the game at 24 with 4:57 to play in the opening half.
A late layup by Bolanga brought the Trailblazers within a point at the break (30-29) and a three-pointer by Bolanga right out of the locker room tied the game at 32.
A layup by McDowell put the Texans on top, 38-37, but a 12-0 run by the Trailblazers over the next three minutes pushed UT in front, 49-38 after a triple by Bolanga.
The Texans responded right back with a 10-0 run, but a triple by Britton, his third of the contest, put the Trailblazers up 52-48 and started a 9-0 run giving UT a 58-48 lead with 5:16 remaining.
The Texans answered right back with a 9-2 run to trim the Trailblazers' lead down to 60-57 and after staying within three after a jumper by McDowell, a triple by Holt from the right corner delivered the dagger for Tarleton and secured the victory.
Numbers to Know
- It was the 11th meeting for the Trailblazers against the Texans and first-ever win at Tarleton State in their fourth trip to Stephenville.
- The Trailblazers are now only one more win shy of matching their most wins in a season in the Division I era (14 - 2023).
- Utah Tech led the contest in bench points (19-16), fast break points (8-4), steals (9-7) and assists (11-6).
- The Trailblazers hit a season-low 37.5 percent (3-8) from the free throw line.
Up Next
The Trailblazers are back home on Thursday night to open a three-game homestand hosting UT Arlington (14-7, 6-3 WAC) at 7 p.m. at Burns Arena.
