Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | UTAH VALLEY
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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech continues its season-long road swing this Thursday night when the Trailblazers travel north on Interstate 15 to Orem to square off against in-state foe Utah Valley in an "Old Hammer Rivalry" match-up.
 
Utah Tech is 5-6 vs. UVU in the NCAA portion of this in-state rivalry, which dates back to when both programs were junior college foes. The Trailblazers have won five of the last eight meetings vs. the Wolverines, including a 65-54 home win this past January 10 inside the Burns Arena, which is Utah Tech's lone conference win this season. 
 
Meanwhile, two of Utah Tech's five wins in the series have come in Orem, though the last time the Blazers posted a victory on UVU's home floor came during the 2023-24 season (W, 73-59; 12/2/23). 
 
A Trailblazer win on Thursday would be Utah Tech's second WAC win of the season and the team's first road win of the year. A Utah Tech win would also clinch a season-series win over UVU. 
 
Meanwhile, Utah Tech is a combined 14-26 all-time against its fellow Beehive State opponents in the program's NCAA era, which includes a 11-17 mark in in-state rivalry games as a Division-I program (2-3 in 2025-26). 

OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (6-15/1-10 WAC) continues its season long three-game road swing this Thursday night when the Trailblazers travel north to Orem for an "Old Hammer Rivalry" showdown at Utah Valley (10-12/3-8 WAC). Tip-off inside Lockhart Arena (1,700) is set for 6 p.m. (MT). 
      Thursday's game will be not be streamed live on ESPN+ due to an ongoing dispute between the Western Athletic Conference and UVU.
 
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.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech began its road swing with a heartbreaking 84-78 double-overtime loss at UT Arlington last Thursday night inside the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
      The Trailblazers led 63-60 with 31.3 seconds remaining in regulation, only to see the Lady Mavs score five-straight points to vault to a 65-63 advantage with 3.7 seconds on the clock.
      Redshirt senior guard Brie Crittendon managed to draw a foul on the Blazers' ensuing possession, and hit two free throws to tie the game and force overtime.
      After playing to a draw in the first OT session, UTA outscored Utah Tech 10-4 in the second extra session to escape with the home victory. 
 
WORKING OVERTIME: Utah Tech is 11-7 all-time in overtime games during its 20-year NCAA era, though last Thursday's loss at UT Arlington dropped the Trailblazers to 1-3 in extra time in their brief time as a Division I program.
      Prior to last Thursday, Utah Tech's last overtime game came on the road at Seattle U (W, 79-73; 2/23/23) during the 2022-23 season.
      Meanwhile, last Thursday's loss at UTA marked the first time in the program's NCAA Division I era that the Trailblazers played in a double-overtime game. Back in the 2012-13 season, Utah Tech dropped a 73-71 double-OT home decision to Grand Canyon (1/10/13) when both teams were Division II competing members of the Pacific West Conference.
      Utah Tech has also played in two triple-OT games, the last of which came nearly four years ago to the day during the 2021-22 season at New Mexico State (L, 82-84; 2/10/22). The Blazers also went three OTs in a 107-103 win over Saint Martin's during the 2018-19 campaign (11/17/18). 
 
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.
 
HOME SWEET HOME: Since joining the NCAA ranks in 2006-07, Utah Tech has played to a 152-94 (.618) overall record in 246 games inside the Burns Arena, including a 6-8 start this season.
      The Trailblazers are slated to host an NCAA-era program record 17 home games, while 22 of the Trailblazers' 28 contests this season overall will be played in "The Beehive State."
      Under Coach Gustin, the Trailblazers are 72-61 (.541) on their home floor, and his charges 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 90-147 (.380) record in 237 road games since the 2006-07 season, which includes a disappointing 0-7 start this season. 
      Under Coach Gustin, the Blazers are 33-78 (.297) 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 314-straight games, including 10 treys (10-of-37) at UT Arlington last Thursday. 
      The Blazers have now reached double digits in made threes six times this season, with four of those instances coming in WAC play, including 10 treys vs. CBU (10-of-31; .323) back on Jan. 22.
      The Trailblazers also knocked down 10 treys (10-of-28; .357) at Tarleton State (1/17), and drained a season-high 11 trifectas (11-of-25; .440) in the home win over Utah Valley back on Jan. 10.
      The Trailblazers have reached double figures in made 3-pointers 35 times in their last 84 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).
      Meanwhile, Utah Tech has knocked down at least 10 treys in 120 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 522 of its 525 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 524 of 525 games during its NCAA era.
 
BORDEN BEARING DOWN: Redshirt senior guard Kaylee Borden has put together quite the start to her debut season as a Trailblazer.
      The senior sharpshooter has led, or co-led, the team in scoring 10 times, and has scored in double figures in 16 of her 21 starts at Utah Tech with seven 20-point outings, including a game-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting with a career-high five 3-pointers vs. California Baptist (1/22). 
      That effort came on the heels of another 23-point night a week earlier at UT Arlington (1/15), against which she went 10-of-16 from the floor. Borden almost made it two straight 20-point games at UTA as she tallied 19 points before fouling out in last Thursday in loss.    
      Borden, who averaged just 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds over her first four collegiate seasons at Nevada (2021-25), heads into Thursday's game at Utah Valley as the WAC's fifth-leading scorer (14.9 ppg) and 18th-leading rebounder (4.5 rpg). In addition, she is ranked sixth in the conference in FG% (.409), 10th in 3FG/game (1.43), and ninth assists (2.52 apg).  
      Borden's current run, which includes a team-highs of 14 points and nine boards in the win over Utah Valley (1/10), also features a pair of 25-point outings, the last of which came in the Westminster win on Nov. 29. 
      Borden, who scored 19 of her career-high tying 25 points after halftime, went 8-of-12 from the floor with five rebounds and two assists in nearly 33 minutes of action in that victory. 
      "Keke" announced her presence with authority with a then-collegiate career high 21 points in the season opener vs. Northern Arizona (11/8). 
      In fact, Borden became just the seventh different Trailblazer to score 20 or more points in a season opener in the program's four-year era. 
      Meanwhile, the NAU win marked the fourth-straight opener that a Trailblazer had tallied at least 20 points.
      Borden, who drained four 3-pointers as part of a 14-point day in the Chicago State win (12/17), followed that up with a team-high 13 points in the Omaha victory (11/12). She chased that effort 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 JOINED ELITE COMPANY: Thanks to her 22-point day vs. NM State (12/6), 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 five of the first eight 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 eight 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 also scored 20 or more points in five of her first eight 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). 
 
PICKED 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.    Additionally, 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 78 total steals in just 52 career games as a Trailblazer.
      Hartley, who heads into Thursday's game at UVU as the WAC leader in assists (4.90 apg), tallied 12 points and a season-high nine dimes at UT Arlington last Thursday.
      That effort pushed her Utah Tech career assist total to 301, which good for second on the program's career list. Hartley also stands sixth in career free throws attempted (290) and eighth in free throws made (167).  
 
MADD COMEBACK: Redshirt senior guard Maddie Warren will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign after suffering a season-ending injury late in the fourth quarter of the Blazers' home win vs. California Baptist on Jan. 8.
      Warren was in the midst of a brilliant comeback season as she was ranked in the WAC's top-10 in scoring (14th, 10.6) and 3FG made per game (4th, 1.77; 23-of-69).
      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 had scored in double figures in seven of her first 13 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 matched her season high with 17 points, all in the first half, in the ACU home loss on New Year's Day. That effort helped vault her into ninth place on Utah Tech's career scoring list (743 points). 
 
START OF A NEW STREAK: Warren saw her career long 3-point streak halted at 16 games after she was held without a made perimeter jumper in the Chicago State victory back on December 17. 
      The redshirt senior guard wasted little time starting a new streak as she hit Utah Tech's first perimeter jumper just seven seconds into play at SUU (12/29), and drained a season high-tying three treys vs. CBU (1/8).
      Warren, who has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 48 of her 55 career games, has 121 trifectas to her credit overall, which ties her for sixth place on Utah Tech's career 3FGM list with former Blazer guard Ali Franks (121; 2016-20). Warren is also now tied with Franks for sixth place all-time in both 3FGA (361) and 3FG% (.335).  
 
TURNING TO PAIGE: Sophomore forward Paige Cofer had herself a night against ACU (1/29) as she tied a season-high with 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting.
      Thanks to that effort, Cofer became just the fifth Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to shoot at least 90 percent from the floor in a single game, and is the third player to do it since the program transitioned to Division I status. 
      In fact, the sophomore is the first to do it since former Blazer guard Maggie McCord went a perfect 11-of-11 from the floor at Seattle U during the 2023-24 season. 
      Cofer also poured in 18 points in the team's WAC opener at SUU (12/29), highlighted by a season-best three 3-pointers. 
      Cofer has scored in double figures in seven of her last 13 starts, and eight times overall this season, which includes 10 points with six boards and two assists at Tarleton State last month (1/17).  
      Earlier this season, the sophomore 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.
      In all, Cofer has scored in double figures 14 times in 39 career games, and has pulled down 10 or more rebounds four times, including a career-high 13 boards at UT Arlington last Thursday night. 
 
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 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 (11/29), 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 scored in double figures in 24 of her 52 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.
* - Senior guard Brie Crittendon is averaging 9.8 ppg over her last 14 starts, and has reached double figures in points seven times this season, highlighted by a game and career-high 23 points at UT Arlington last Thursday night ... the redshirt senior guard finished with three 3-pointers and went 8-of-9 at the foul line.
* - Crittendon's 23 points eclipsed her previous career high of 19 points she recorded during her sophomore year at Eastern Kentucky (12/6/23). 
* - Crittendon posted game highs of 16 points and eight rebounds in the Chicago State win back on Dec. 17 ... that effort chased a 17-point night on 7-of-14 shooting and a game-high nine boards vs. UC Santa Barbara (12/13). 
* - Crittendon notched her second career double-double with game highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds in the McNeese loss (12/2) ... the senior knocked down a career-best four 3-pointers (4-of-8 3FG) in the loss, and scored 12 of her 15 points in the first half.
* - Crittendon, who is currently ninth in the WAC in rebounding (6.5 rpg), has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in four of her 20 starts this season, including a career-high 13 boards to go with six points and three assists in Utah Tech's home win over Westminster (11/29).
* - Crittendon just missed recording her first double-double of the year in the Omaha win (11/12), going for nine points and 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), in a game in which she posted her first career double-double with 13 points. 
* - Crocker was inserted into the starting line-up for the first time as a Trailblazer at Southern Utah (12/29) and responded with six points on 2-of-6 from 3-point country along with a team and season-high tying nine rebounds, and two blocked shots in 34 minutes of game action. 
* - Crocker made her second start in win over Utah Valley (1/10), against which she went off for a career-high 13 points on 4-of-5 (career-best) from beyond the arc ... the junior also just missed her first collegiate double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds vs. ACU (1/31).
* - Crocker is averaging 8.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in her nine starts this season. 
* - Crocker logged a career-high 36 minutes at UT Arlington last Thursday, against which she tallied four points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots ... that effort came a week after she pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds and tied a career high with four blocks vs. Tarleton State (1/31). 
* - In fact, Crocker has posted four blocks five times this season, doing so last month at Tarleton State (1/17).
* - Crocker has 36 blocks in 21 games to this point of the season, which is good for fifth place on Utah Tech's single season list ... she also has 50 career blocks at Utah Tech overall, which ranks her sixth on the program's career blocks list. 
* - Junior guard Calyn Dallas has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in nine of her first 21 games to start the season, including a season-high three trifectas at UT Arlington last Thursday en route to a WAC season high nine points ... Dallas' nine points were two off of her season-high of 10 points off the bench in the Omaha win (11/12).
* - Redshirt freshman guard Andjela Colic enjoyed the best outing of her brief Blazer career, hitting for a career-high nine points on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in 11 minutes off the bench vs. CBU (1/8) ... Colic, who drained another trey in the Utah Valley (1/10), dished out a career-best three assists and recorded her first two collegiate points in the second quarter vs. Omaha (11/12). 
* - Freshman forward Rose Boisnel made her long-awaited season debut in the Westminster win (11/29), against which she tallied 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers.
* - Boisnel logged a season-long 22-plus minutes off the bench vs. Tarleton State (1/31), and stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, two boards, one assist, one block and a career-high three steals. 
* - 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, who tallied six points vs. CBU (1/22), played in a career-long 28 minutes at SUU (1/24) and responded with a career-high eight points and three rebounds. 
* - Freshman forward Annalyse Shimada scored her first collegiate point and corralled her first two collegiate rebounds in the Portland State win (11/22) ... Shimada also knocked down her first collegiate bucket and pulled down one rebound in six minutes at UT Arlington (1/15).
 
ABOUT THE UTAH VALLEY "WOLVERINES": Utah Valley enters this Thursday's game having lost seven of its last eight games, with the lone win over that stretch coming at home over Tarleton State (W, 70-67) back on Jan. 29. 
      Redshirt senior wing Amanda Barcello (5-11) is one of two Wolverines averaging double figures at 14.2 ppg on 40.5 percent shooting.       Barcello is also hitting on a WAC-best 38.0 percent of her 3-point attempts (49-of-129).
      UVU's calling card is its pressure defense, which is ranked fifth in the NCAA Division I ranks in opponent turnovers (26.05 tpg) and second overall in steals per game (16.0). 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech wraps up its three-game road swing this Saturday afternoon at California Baptist. Tip-off inside the Fowler Events Center in Riverside is set for 1 p.m. (PT).