Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | UTAH VALLEY
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TRAILBLAZERS AT A GLANCE
Utah Tech will put a bow on the 2025-26 regular season on Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers head north on Interstate 15 to Orem for an "Old Hammer Rivalry" match-up at Utah Valley.
 
Utah Tech is 5-7 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 split of the first two games in the three-game series this season.
 
The Trailblazers came away with a 65-54 home win this past January 10 inside the Burns Arena, while the Wolverines defended their home court with a hard-fought 55-52 in Orem back on Feb. 12. 
 
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 was during the 2023-24 season (W, 73-59; 12/2/23). 
 
A Trailblazer win on Saturday would be Utah Tech's fifth WAC win of the season and the team's first road win of the year overall. A Utah Tech win would also clinch a season-series win over UVU. 
 
OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (9-18/4-13 WAC) will close out the 2025-26 regular season on Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers travel north on Interstate 15 to Orem for an "Old Hammer Rivalry" in-state battle at Utah Valley (15-13/8-9 WAC).
      Tip-off inside the UCCU Center (7,500) is slated for 2 p.m. (MT).
      Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+. For live streaming and live scoring information, visit UtahTechTrailblazers.com.
 
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: A season-high five Trailblazers in double figures as Utah Tech routed in-state rival Southern Utah, 83-66, on an emotional Senior Day Saturday inside the Burns Arena. 
 
AGAINST IN-STATE FOES: Thanks to its Senior Day victory over SUU last Saturday, Utah Tech improved to 15-27 all-time against its fellow Beehive State opponents in the program's NCAA era. That record includes an 12-18 mark in in-state rivalry games as a Division-I program (3-4 in 2025-26).  
 
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 155-94 (.622) overall record in 249 games inside the Burns Arena.
      Thanks to last Saturday's home victory over Southern Utah, the Trailblazers ended their 2025-26 home slate with a 9-8 overall home record, which is the program's 13th winning home record in 20 seasons since transitioning to NCAA status ahead of the 2006-07 campaign.
      Under Coach Gustin, the Trailblazers are 75-61 (.551) 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 320-straight games, which includes six 3-pointers (6-of-19) in the SUU win last Saturday, and a season-high 12 treys at Abilene Christian (2/26) last week. 
      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 their home win over Tarleton State (2/21), 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 90 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 528 of its 531 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 530 of 531 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 two-time WAC Newcomer of the week honoree has led, or co-led, the team in scoring 11 times, and has scored in double figures in 23 of her 27 starts with eight 20-point outings, highlighted by a career-high 29 points in the UT Arlington home 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 at Utah Valley as the WAC's second-leading scorer (15.6 ppg) and 19th-leading rebounder (4.26 rpg). In addition, she is ranked fifth in the conference in FG% (.405) and FT% (.758), sixth in made 3FG per game (1.67), and ninth assists (2.59 apg).  
      Borden's current run, which includes 18 points in the SUU win last Saturday, 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 first of two WAC Newcomer of the Week honors (11/24). 
 
CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Thanks to her 18-point day in the SUU win last Saturday, Borden moved into 10th place on Utah Tech's single-season scoring list (422 pts) and t-10th in made field goals (154). 
 
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 86 total steals in 58 career games as a Trailblazer.
      Hartley heads into Saturday's game at Utah Valley as the WAC leader in assists (5.07 apg - 33rd nationally). 
      The senior point guard is averaging 5.9 assists in her last nine starts, which helped push her Utah Tech career assist total to 335, which good for second on the program's career list. In addition, her 137 assists this season are good for sixth on the single season list.
      Hartley also stands fourth in career free throws attempted (311) and sixth in free throws made (181).  
 
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 11 of her last 19 starts, and 12 times overall this season, which includes her fourth career double-double with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds in the home finale vs. SUU last Saturday. 
      Earlier this season, the sophomore posted her second career double-double with 10 points and 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.
      Cofer, who enters the final day of the regular season 15th in the WAC in rebounding (5.93 rpg), has scored in double figures 18 times in 45 career games, and has pulled down 10 or more rebounds six times, including a career-high 13 boards at UT Arlington back on Feb. 5. 
 
CRITT SHOWING TRUE GRIT: Senior guard Brie Crittendon is averaging 12.2 ppg in her last 20 starts, including a 16.8 ppg clip over her last eight games with three 20-point outings, highlighted by her third career double-double with a career-high tying 23 points with 10 rebounds in the Tarleton State home win back on Feb. 21. 
      Crittendon, who tallied 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the SUU win last Saturday, has reached double figures in points 12 times this season, which includes her first 23-point night last 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 (vs. Miami [OH] 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), and scored 12 of her 15 points in the first half.
      Crittendon, who is currently 14th in the WAC in scoring (10.88 ppg) and ninth in rebounding (6.54 rpg), has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in five of her 26 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 25 of her 58 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.
* - Hartley was one of a season-high five Trailblazers who scored 10 or more points in the SUU win last Saturday, finishing with 11 points along with three boards and three dimes. 
* - 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 at Abilene Christian (2/26) ... 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 high 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 8.2 points and 9.8 rebounds in her 15 starts this season, including 13 points with five rebounds in the Tarleton State win (2/21).
* - Crocker went on to post her second career double-double with 10 points and a career high 17 rebounds, including 15 defensive caroms, in the SUU 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 27 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 13 of her 27 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 road loss (2/26), 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 (2/14) 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 home win over Tarleton State (2/21). 
 
ABOUT THE UTAH VALLEY "WOLVERINES": Utah Valley enters this Saturday's regular season finale on a bit of a roll, having won five of its last six games, which includes a decisive 74-53 home win over Southern Utah this past Thursday night. 
      Redshirt senior wing Amanda Barcello (5-11) is lone Wolverine averaging double figures at 14.2 ppg on 41.9 percent shooting. Barcello is also hitting on a WAC-best 41.7 percent of her 3-point attempts (65-of-156), and is the conference leader in FT% (.865).
      UVU's calling card is its pressure defense, which is ranked fourth in the NCAA Division I ranks in opponent turnovers (25.7 tpg) and second overall in steals per game (15.6).  
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: The 2026, and final, Air Force Reserve Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament will be held next week, March 11-14, at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Official tournament seeds and pairings will be announced on Sunday.