(Riverside, Calif. - Jan. 8, 2026) - The Trailblazers saw their hot start to WAC play come to an end on Thursday night falling 84-72 at California Baptist at the Fowler Events Center.
Utah Tech (9-8, 2-1 WAC) saw four Trailblazers finish in double figures led by the sixth 20-point performance of the season by
Ethan Potter.
The senior forward added a team-high nine rebounds, including a season-best six offensive boards, and added three assists.
Noah Bolanga added 17 points, six rebounds & a pair of assists while playing a team-leading 38 minutes.
Chance Trujillo and
Tanner Davis tallied 13 points and 12 points, respectively.
The Trailblazers shot 48.1 percent (26-54) from the field, 33.3 percent (6-18) from three-point range and 77.8 percent (14-18) from the free throw line.
California Baptist (11-6, 1-3 WAC) was led by a pair of 20-point performances from Dominique Daniels Jr. and Devon Malcolm while Martel Williams chipped in 17 points.
How It Happened
The Trailblazers jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the first four minutes of action after a layup by Potter and a pair of three-pointers from
Jusaun Holt and Trujillo.
A layup by Potter kept the Trailblazers within a pair (20-18) midway through the half, but back-to-back layup by Daniels Jr. put CBU up by six.
UT answered back with five straight from Bolanga on a layup and three-pointer, but the Lancers answered back with a 10-0 run to take a 34-23 lead with 3:51 to play in the first half.
A layup by Bolanga ended the Trailblazers cold shooting, but the Lancers were able to take a 40-31 lead to the locker room at the break.
A layup by Potter two minutes into the second half kept the Trailblazers within five (45-40) before seven straight points for the Lances pushed CBU ahead, 52-40.
A layup from Davis and three points from Potter ended the CBU run making it 52-45, but a 10-2 run from the Lancers extended the CBU lead to 62-47 midway through the half.
With the Lancers continuing to lead by double digits, the Trailblazers kept clawing at the deficit cutting it down to nine (71-62) after a layup by Davis with 3:32 to play.
That was as close as the Trailblazers could get in the final minutes as the Lancers made a pair of field goals and three free throws in the final two minutes to hand the Trailblazers their first WAC loss this season.
Numbers to Know
- The Trailblazers continue to lead the all-time series, 14-12 over California Baptist and will return to Riverside for the second of three meetings this season against the Lancers on Jan. 21.
- Utah Tech led the Lancers in fast break points (10-8), assists (14-12) and blocks (3-2).
- CBU held an edge in rebounds (39-25), steals (6-4), second chance points (24-4), bench points (32-15) and points in the paint (42-34).
Up Next
The Trailblazers wrap up their three-game road swing with the "Old Hammer Rivalry" game at Utah Valley (13-4, 3-1 WAC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the UCCU Center.
