Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | SOUTHERN UTAH
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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech will close out the home portion of its 2025-26 regular season slate on Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers welcome in-state rival Southern Utah to the Burns Arena for a Senior Day showdown. 
 
Saturday's game will be the final home game for five Trailblazer seniors - Kaylee Borden, Brie Crittendon, Chardonnay Hartley, Macie Warren and Maddie Warren.
 
Utah Tech is 2-8 all-time vs. SUU, with both victories coming in a season sweep during the 2023-24 campaign. Meanwhile the Thunderbirds, who won the first four games in the series, have claimed the last four meetings, including a 62-49 home decision this past January 24 in Cedar City. 
 
A Trailblazer win on Saturday would be Utah Tech's fourth WAC win of the season and would end the team's current four-game skid vs. SUU. 
 
A win on Saturday would also clinch a home winning record for the season (8-8), which would be Utah Tech's 13th in 20 NCAA-era campaigns overall.
 
OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (8-18/3-13 WAC) wraps home portion of its 2025-26 regular season schedule on Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers welcome in-state rival Southern Utah (19-8/11-4 WAC) to the Burns Arena (4,779) for a Senior Day showdown. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. (MT).
 
AGAINST IN-STATE FOES: Utah Tech is 14-27 all-time against its fellow Beehive State opponents in the program's NCAA era. That record includes an 11-18 mark in in-state rivalry games as a Division-I program (2-4 in 2025-26). 
 
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.
      Also of note, Southern Utah will make its return to the Big Sky after it left that conference to join the WAC ahead of the 2022-23 season.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Utah Tech could not battle back from a pair of extended Wildcat scoring runs as the Trailblazers saw their two-game win streak halted after a 76-66 road loss at Abilene Christian on Thursday night inside Moody Coliseum. 
 
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 154-94 (.621) overall record in 248 games inside the Burns Arena, including a 8-8 mark this season.
      Under Coach Gustin, the Trailblazers are 74-61 (.548) on their home floor, and his charges have won eight or more home games in seven of their last nine seasons overall. In fact, Utah Tech has won 11 home games 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 90-150 (.375) record in 240 road games since the 2006-07 season, which includes a disappointing 0-10 start this season. 
      Under Coach Gustin, the Blazers are 33-81 (.289) 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 319-straight games, highlighted a season-high tying 12 treys in Thursday night's loss at Abilene Christian. 
      The Blazers have knocked down at least 10 3-pointers nine times this season, with seven of those instances coming in WAC play, including 11 perimeter jumpers in last Saturday's win over Tarleton State, and 11 trifectas in two games vs. Utah Valley (11-of-33, 2/12; 11-of-25, 1/10).
      The Trailblazers have reached double figures in made 3-pointers 38 times in their last 89 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 123 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 527 of its 530 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 529 of 530 games during its NCAA era.
 
BORDEN LOCKS DOWN SECOND WAC HONOR: Redshirt senior guard Kaylee Borden was named WAC Newcomer of the Week for the second time this season last Monday.
      Borden, who garnered conference newcomer honors back on Nov. 24, averaged 23.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals in Utah Tech's two-game home sweep last week. She shot a combined 45.7 percent (16-of-37) from the floor, 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the perimeter, and went 8-of-10 at the foul line (.800).
      Borden led all scorers with a career high 29 points, including a pair of game winning free throws with 1.5 seconds left, in Utah Tech's 60-58 come-from-behind victory over UT Arlington (2/18). She hit on 10-of-17 of her field goal attempts with four 3-pointers, and collected four rebounds and two steals. 
      She followed that up with 18 points, 13 of which came in the second half, in last Saturday's 76-55 rout of Tarleton State. Borden knocked down three more treys and stuffed the stat sheet with career highs of six assists and three steals, and pulled down four rebounds. 
 
BORDEN BEARING DOWN: 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 11 times, and has scored in double figures in 22 of her 26 starts at Utah Tech with eight 20-point outings, highlighted by a career-high 29 points in the UTA win back on Feb. 18.
In fact, Borden has averaged 23.6 points in her three starts vs. UTA, including games of 23 (1/15) and 19 points (2/5) in two road games in Arlington.  
      Borden, who averaged just 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds over her first four collegiate seasons at Nevada (2021-25), heads into Saturday's game vs. SUU as the WAC's third-leading scorer (15.5 ppg) and 17th-leading rebounder (4.3 rpg). In addition, she is ranked fifth in the conference in made 3FG per game (1.69), FT% (.756) and FG% (.403), and ninth assists (2.54 apg).  
      Borden's current run, which includes 14 points at ACU on Thursday night, 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 then 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 85 total steals in 57 career games as a Trailblazer.
      Hartley, who heads into Saturday's game vs. SUU as the WAC leader in assists (5.1 apg - 38th nationally), dished out seven dimes to go with four points at ACU last Thursday night.
      The senior point guard is averaging 6.25 assists in her last eight starts, which helped push her Utah Tech career assist total to 332, which good for second on the program's career list. In addition, her 134 assists this season are good for seventh on the single season list.
      Hartley also stands fourth in career free throws attempted (307) and sixth in free throws made (178).  
 
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 loss 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 Abilene Christian (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 10 of her last 18 starts, and 11 times overall this season, which includes 10 points with a game-high 11 rebounds for her third career double-double in the Tarleton win last Saturday. She also poured in 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting at ACU on Thursday night. 
      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 17 times in 44 career games, and has pulled down 10 or more rebounds five times, including a career-high 13 boards at UT Arlington back on Feb. 5. 
 
CRITT SHOWING TRUE GRIT: Senior guard Brie Crittendon is averaging 12.0 ppg in her last 19 starts, including a 16.8 ppg clip over her last seven games with three 20-point outings, highlighted by her third career double-double with a career-high tying 23 points with 10 rebounds in last Saturday's win over Tarleton State. 
      Crittendon has reached double figures in points 11 times this season, which includes her first 23-point night earlier this month at UT Arlington (2/5). 
      The redshirt senior guard followed that up with a game high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and season-high tying four 3-pointers at Utah Valley (2/12). She then poured in a co-game high 20 points, thanks to a 10-of-11 effort at the foul line, and pulled down nine rebounds at CBU (2/14).  
      Crittendon's 23 points at UTA eclipsed her previous career high of 19 points she recorded during her sophomore year at Eastern Kentucky (12/6/23). 
      Crittendon notched her second career double-double with game highs of 15 points and 10 rebounds in the McNeese loss (12/2), against which she knocked down 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 13th in the WAC in scoring (10.68 ppg) and eighth in rebounding (6.68 rpg), has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in five of her 25 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 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. 
 
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 57 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.
* - Crocker posted her first collegiate double-double with a career-high 15 points and 11 rebounds in a career-best 37 minutes of game action in Thursday's loss at Abilene Christian ... Crocker knocked down six of her 11 shot attempts with three 3-pointers, and also tied her career high with four blocks to go with two steals. 
* - 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 13 points on 4-of-5 (career-best) from beyond the arc.
* - Crocker is averaging 8.1 points and 9.4 rebounds in her 14 starts this season, including a career high tying 13 points with five rebounds in the Tarleton State win last Saturday.
* - Crocker logged 36 minutes at UT Arlington (2/5), against which she tallied four points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots ... that effort came a week after she pulled down 12 rebounds and tied a career high with four blocks vs. Tarleton State (1/31). 
* - In fact, Crocker has posted four blocks seven times this season, and has 48 blocks in 26 games to this point of the campaign, which is good for t-second place on Utah Tech's single season list ... she also has 62 career blocks at Utah Tech overall, which is good for fifth on the program's career blocks list. 
* - Junior guard Calyn Dallas has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 12 of her 26 games off the bench this season, including a season-high three trifectas at UT Arlington (2/5) 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, who dished out a career-high four assists in the ACU loss on Thursday night, 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 enjoyed a breakout performance at CBU last Saturday with a career-high 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 22-plus minutes off the bench.  
* - Freshman forward Annalyse Shimada scored her first collegiate point and corralled her first two collegiate rebounds in the Portland State win (11/22) ... Shimada pulled down a career-high four rebounds in eight-plus reserve minutes in last Saturday's win over Tarleton State. 
 
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN UTAH "THUNDERBIRDS": Despite being picked to finish last in this year's WAC preseason poll, Southern Utah's has played to the WAC's second-best overall record at 19-8, and is currently tied for second in the conference standings at 11-4. 
      The Thunderbirds head south to St. George winners of four-straight, and eight of their last nine overall, which includes a road win at WAC leading CBU (85-70; 2/12), and a 78-70 home triumph over ACU last Sunday.  
      Sophomore guard Sierra Chambers (5-8) leads three T-Birds averaging double figures at 15.1 ppg on 37.0 percent shooting. Chambers has scored 10 or more points in 22 of her 27 starts, and is averaging 17.0 points in two games vs. Utah Tech.
      Meanwhile, reigning WAC player of the week honoree, sophomore forward Ava Uhrich (6-0), averages nearly a double-double at 14.4 points and a conference-leading 9.9 rebounds per game, while junior forward Brooklyn Fely (6-0) is scoring at a 12.8 ppg clip on 48.8 percent shooting and averages 8.6 rebounds per outing.   
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: Utah Tech will put a bow on the 2025-26 regular season next Saturday afternoon, when the Trailblazers head north on Interstate 15 to Orem for an "Old Hammer Rivalry" face-off at Utah Valley. Tip-off inside the UCCU Center is set for 2 p.m. (MT).