Utah Tech secured an 80-72 victory over Tarleton State on Saturday afternoon at the EECU Center in Stephenville, Texas. The Trailblazers finished the game with a strong 23-10 run, improving their record to 17-12 overall and 10-5 in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play. With this win, Utah Tech has now won seven of its last eight games and remains in second place in the WAC standings.
Senior guard Jusaun Holt and redshirt sophomore guard Chance Trujillo each scored 19 points for Utah Tech. Senior forward Ethan Potter contributed 17 points and six rebounds. Trujillo also recorded his second double-double of the season by grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds, while Holt led with five assists.
Utah Tech shot 47.3 percent from the field, made nearly 38 percent of its three-point attempts, and converted 85 percent of its free throws.
For Tarleton State, Jordan Mizell led with 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Kaia Issac added 13 points, and Freddy Hicks chipped in with 11 points.
The first half saw both teams exchanging leads before ending tied at 32 after a late three-pointer by Holt. In the second half, Tarleton State opened up a double-digit lead before Trujillo hit consecutive three-pointers to narrow the gap. After trailing midway through the half, Utah Tech went on a decisive run fueled by Trujillo’s scoring to take control of the game.
This win gave Utah Tech a season sweep over Tarleton State after previous victories at home on January 17 and in Stephenville on January 31. The all-time series between the two teams now stands at seven wins for Tarleton and five for Utah Tech.
Utah Tech outperformed Tarleton State in several statistical categories including rebounds (37-29), assists (16-12), blocks (4-0), second chance points (20-13), bench points (28-27), and fast break points (10-9). This was also the sixth time this season that Utah Tech made at least ten three-pointers in a game.
Trujillo previously achieved his other double-double during the season opener against South Dakota with 17 points and twelve rebounds.
Following this result, Utah Tech is half a game behind Utah Valley for first place in the WAC standings and half a game ahead of California Baptist for third place.
Next up for Utah Tech is a home matchup against Abilene Christian on Thursday night at Burns Arena.
