Game Notes: UTAH TECH - PDF | SUU
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OPENING TIP: Utah Tech (14-18) continues its "WAC Vegas" debut on Thursday night as the 11th-seeded Thunderbirds will square off against No. 3 seed Southern Utah (20-11) in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Hercules Tires Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. 
            Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. (PT), inside the Orleans Arena (9,500) in Las Vegas.
 
AFTER ONE ROUND AT 2023 WAC TOURNAMENT: The first three games of the opening round at the 2023 Hercules Tires Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament this past Tuesday at Michelob ULTRA Arena went "chalk" with three of the higher seeds all claiming victory.
            No. 8 seed California Baptist defeated No. 9 seed Abilene Christian (69-62) in game one, while No. 5 seed Grand Canyon slipped by No. 12 seed UT Arlington (82-77) in game two, and No. 7 seed Tarleton held off No 10 seed UTRGV (74-70) in game three.
            The only upset of the day....Utah Tech with its 80-76 overtime win over No. 6 seed Stephen F. Austin in the nightcap.  
 
UTAH TECH VS. SOUTHERN UTAH: Despite being separated by 54 total miles, Thursday night's game vs. SUU will be only the sixth meeting between the Trailblazers and Thunderbirds on the basketball court in the NCAA era for both programs. 
            The two sides renewed their old junior college rivalry with the first-ever NCAA meeting during the 2020-21 season, when the T-Birds claimed a hard-fought 85-78 home victory (12/17/20).
            Since then both teams have split the last four games in each of the last two seasons, with both teams protecting their respective home courts. 
            In the 2021-22 season, the Trailblazers broke through with an 83-76 home win (11/12/21), only to see the Thunderbirds exact a little revenge in the return game at the AFCU Center with an 87-59 romp (12/22/21).
            This season the two sides met as conference opponents for the first time since that JUCO era after SUU left the Big Sky Conference after 10 years to join the WAC. 
            Utah Tech managed to even the renewed in-state rivalry series at 2-2 after posting an 86-79 home victory over the Thunderbirds back on Feb. 4, which was followed 13 days later with an 81-71 SUU win in Cedar City (2/17/23). 
 
ALL-TIME IN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS: Not only did Utah Tech make its WAC tournament debut on Tuesday night, it is playing in its third different conference postseason tournament since becoming an NCAA program in the 2006-07 season.
            During their Division II era, the Trailblazers made six Pacific West Tournament appearances from 2012-18, and won the PacWest tourney title twice in 2013 and 2018.
            Utah Tech also played in two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tourney appearances, and served as the host for the 2020 RMAC Tournament as regular season champions in its final D-II season. 
 
CHECK OFF ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR COACH...: Head Coach Jon Judkins collected his 300th-career NCAA victory in Tuesday's overtime win over SFA to move to 300-170 (.638) since the program made the move to four-year competition in the 2006-07 season.
            That was the third of three milestone moments that the long time Trailblazer mentor passed this season.
            The first milestone moment came earlier this year when Judkins earned his 600th career coaching victory in UT's 89-76 home triumph over New Mexico State back on Jan. 21. 
            Then fast forward to last week when Judkins reached milestone No. 2 when he coached in his 500th game at Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) when the Trailblazers took the court vs. Seattle U. Coincidentally, Utah Tech won that game to record the program's 300th NCAA victory (301-171; .637).
            In all, Judkins' career record now stands at 320-182 (.637) in 17-plus years at Utah Tech, which includes a 20-12 mark in the program's last junior college season in 2005-06.  
            
JUDKINS NO. 1 IN UTAH: Last season, Judkins became the all-time winningest head coach in Utah collegiate basketball history last season with career victory No. 583 in UT's 114-49 home rout of SAGU-AIC (12/15/21).
            Judkins moved past legendary Utah head women's basketball coach Elaine Elliott (582-324) atop the state's all-time coaching victories list (men's and women's). That list also includes a pair of former Utah Tech (then Dixie State) coaches in Dave Rose (1990-97 before moving on to BYU) and Stan Watts (1941-45 before moving on to Utah), along with such names at Stew Morrill (Utah State), Rick Majerus (Utah) and Ron Abegglen (Snow College/Weber State).
            Judkins currently owns a 604-310 (.661) overall record during his time at both Utah Tech and Snow (UT) College (1992-2005; 284-128).
            Coach Judkins became the first men's coach in Utah collegiate basketball history to reach the 500-win plateau when UT defeated Hawai'i Hilo (81-72) back on January 28, 2017. 
 
WORKING OVERTIME:: Utah Tech moved to 22-14 (.611) all-time in overtime games in its NCAA era (2-1 as a D-I) after its OT victory over SFA on Tuesday night. The Trailblazers were a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor with two 3-pointers and forced three SFA turnovers in the extra frame. 
            It was the Blazers' second overtime game of the season, with the first coming nearly two weeks ago in a 71-69 buzzer-beating loss at UT Arlington back on Feb. 25.
            That loss came nearly a year-to-the-day since the Trailblazers' last overtime affair, a thrilling 80-75 home WAC victory over Utah Valley (2/19/22)
            Meanwhile, that overtime win last season came nearly two years to the day of the Trailblazers' last OT game, which did not end as well as UT dropped a 105-97 decision at Colorado Christian - in February (2/22/20) - during its final D-II season.
            Four of those 36 games have gone to double-overtime (2-2), the last was a 79-75 loss at Cal Poly Pomona (11/10/17) in the 2017-18 season opener. 
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....BANG: Utah Tech has hit at least one 3-pointer in 171-straight games, which included six made threes vs. SFA on Tuesday night, and a season-high 14 treys vs. Lindenwood (12/22). The 14 treys vs. Lindenwood were the third-most in a single game in the program's NCAA era
            Last season, the Trailblazers nailed a school-record 21 treys in its 114-49 blowout win over SAGU-American Indian College (12/15/21).
            That record was one of five 3FG school records to fall that night as the Blazers also broke records for first half 3FGM (10), second half 3FGM (11), and for 3FG attempted (37). In addition, 11 different Trailblazers hit at least one 3-pointer, which was another school record.
            UT has reached double figures in made 3-pointers 12 times this season, this after doing it only four times last year.
            In all, Utah Tech has hit at least one three pointer in 374 of its last 376 games overall, and in 468 of the program's 472 NCAA-era games, which began in the 2006-07 season, with 34 total games of at least 10 3FGM.
 
RELEASE...ROTATION...SPLASH: Utah Tech broke its single-season record for made 3-pointers when Frank Staine hit the Blazers' last trey in the final seconds at Seattle U (2/8). UT has now hit 275 3-pointers this year (275-of-725; .379), which eclipsed the previous record of 219 set last year in 31 games.
            UT broke the record in 130 fewer attempts (568), while the 725 total attempts this season bested the previous school record of 698 set last season. 
            The Blazers have attempted 20 or more 3-pointers 23 times this season, including a season-high 32 at Arizona (11/17), and 24 more at UT Arlington (6-of-24; 2/25). In addition, Utah Tech finished the regular season as the WAC leader in 3FGM/game (8.7 - t-52nd nationally) and was third in 3FG% (.382).
 
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN....CLANG??!!: For just the second time in the program's NCAA era, Utah Tech held an opponent without a 3-point field goal as Abilene Christian went 0-of-6 from the perimeter back on Jan. 28. The last time that happened came at home during 2020-21 season against Saint Katherine (0-of-18; 12/5/2020).
 
NO DOUBLE UP ON DEFENSE: Utah Tech's defense also did something in its home win over Seattle U (3/1) that it had not done in more than seven years – it held an opponent without a double-digit scorer. 
            Four Seattle U players finished with nine points on the night, including guard Cameron Tyson, who went into that game as the WAC's second-leading scorer (18.4 ppg).
            The last time Utah Tech held an opponent without a double-digit scorer came during the 2015-16 season in a home win vs. Notre Dame de Namur (1/14/16). 
 
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE: Utah Tech is among the nation's leaders, albeit unofficially, at getting to the foul line this season. Through 32 games, UT is "ranked" fifth in free throw attempts per game at 24.2 FTA/G, and is fourth nationally with 775 total attempts and t-10th in free throws made with 545. 
            The reason why it is unofficial - is because Utah Tech is not eligible to be listed in the national rankings during its four-year NCAA Division-I transition period. 
 
GOODEN EARNS WAC POSTSEASON HONORS: Senior point guard Cameron Gooden was voted Second Team All-WAC on Sunday night.
            Gooden finished the regular season ranked in the WAC's top-10 in scoring (5th; 16.1 ppg), field goal percentage (2nd; .466), free throw percentage (6th; .800) and 3-pointers made (7th; 50 – 1.92 3fgm/g). The senior also wound up 11th in the conference in assists (3.38 apg) and 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.29).
 
TOURNEY NOTES
* - Gooden posted his team-best seventh 20-plus point game of the season with his 22 points in Tuesday's win over SFA ... Gooden also dished out five assists, marking the 10th time this season that the senior guard has recorded five or more dimes in a game.
* - Gooden's 22 points vaulted him into ninth on UT's single season scoring list (440).
* - Gooden has scored in double figures in 22 of 27 games played this season and has led Utah Tech in scoring in 15 of the Blazers' 32 games overall.
* - Gooden tied a WAC career-high with 26 points in Utah Tech's home win over SUU back on Feb. 4 ... he also had 26 points on the road at Abilene Christian (1/26) and at UTRGV (2/23).
* - Gooden is averaging 17.1 ppg after hie returned from injury in the home win over New Mexico State (1/21/23). 
* - Gooden enjoyed a perfect shooting night in the Seattle U win (3/1), going 4-of-4 from the floor with two 3-pointers and 7-of-7 at the line en route to 17 points. 
* -  Gooden poured in a career-high 29 points on 9-of-16 shooting (5-of-7 3FG) at Utah State back on Dec. 1.
* - Over his three years as a Trailblazer, Gooden has scored in double figures in 55 of 79 career games with 14 20-plus point outings, and has led the team in scoring 43 times overall. 
* - Gooden became the ninth Trailblazer in the program's NCAA era to join the 1,000-point club (1,018) at UTRGV (2/23). 
* - Gooden enter Thursday night's game vs. SUU needing only 27 more points to become the sixth player in program history to score 1,100 career points.
* - Gooden is ranked fourth all-time on UT's career scoring list (13.6 ppg), and stands fifth in career assists (276), sixth in free throws made (276) and career steals (94), and seventh in 3-pointers (107).
* - Junior guard Isaiah Pope poured in 14 points and dished out five assists in the SFA win on Tuesday night.
* - Pope gave Utah Tech the lead for good with a conventional three-point play with 1:13 to play in OT, then fed Frank Staine with a perfectly executed back door cut and lay-in to extend the Blazer lead to five points with 51 second left. 
* - Pope became the sixth player in the program's NCAA era to score 20 or more points in three-straight, doing so in January with 23 points at Grand Canyon (1/18), 23 vs. NM State (1/21) and a career-high 27 points at Tarleton (1/26).
* - Pope has scored 20 or more points seven times this season, most recently in Utah Tech's home win over Seattle U (22 pts; 3/1).
* - Pope averaged 14.3 ppg in WAC play this season and scored in double figures in 10 of 18 conference games overall.
* - Pope was inserted into the starting lineup 27 games ago in North Dakota and responded with 12 points against both UND (11/25) and Cal State Fullerton (11/26).
* - Pope has now scored in double figures in 20 of 32 games to this point of the season, and is averaging 13.9 ppg since moving into the starting lineup. 
* - Pope enters Thursday's game vs. SUU seventh in program history in FT% (.783) and 10th in 3FGM (81).
* - Sophomore Tanner Christensen battled foul trouble throughout Tuesday night's win over SFA and was held scoreless for the first time this season, though he did collect a co-team high six rebounds.  
* - Christensen posted his team-leading fourth double-double of the year, and the third on the road, with 10 points and a career-high tying 14 rebounds at UT Arlington (2/25). 
* - Christensen then chased that with 19 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting with a 3-pointer in UT's home win over Seattle U (3/1). 
* - Christensen tied his WAC career high with his 21 points in the SUU home win on Feb. 4, which was his fourth 20-point game of the season. 
* - Christensen went 9-of-12 from the floor with seven rebounds and two assists vs. the Thunderbirds ... He also threw down three dunks in that win, and he currently leads the team with 30 dunks on the year. 
* - Christensen poured in 21 points at GCU (1/18), 16 of which came in the first half to help keep Utah Tech in the game. 
* - Christensen racked up game highs of 17 points and 14 rebounds at CBU (1/5) ... his 14 rebounds, which he matched at UT Arlington (2/25), were most by a Trailblazer player in the program's new NCAA D-I era, 
* - Christensen also blocked one shot at CBU, all while not committing a personal foul. 
*- Christensen put on a show at Washington (11/14), going for a game and UT career-high 26 points in nearly 35 minutes ... the sophomore scored UT's first eight points and had 16 of the team's 25 points
* - Christensen, who hails from Spokane Valley, Wash., finished the night 11-of-17 from the floor with four rebounds and three assists in his return to his home state.
* - Christensen (219 rebs.) heads into Thursday's game vs. SUU needing just four more caroms to moved into fifth place on UT's single season rebounds list.
* - Staine poured in 18 points in the SFA win on Tuesday night, with seven of those points coming in overtime ... his 18 points were three off of his career-high of 21 points set at GCU (1/18). 
* - Staine went 6-of-11 from the floor vs. SFA with two 3-pointers en route to his 11th double-digit point game of the season, and he finished with five rebounds. 
* - Staine's 21 points at GCU eclipsed his previous career high of 20 points, which he hit twice, the last coming just over three years ago vs. UC-Colorado Springs (1/3/20).
* - Staine (93) became Utah Tech's career leader in starts in last Friday's regular season finale vs. GCU ... in addition, he is first in career 3FGA (420), second in career 3FG made (149), games played (113) and career steals (120), eighth in rebounds (410), and tenth in career 3FG% (.354).
* - Senior forward Jacob Nicolds tallied a career high 22 points in Utah Tech's road loss at SUU back on Feb. 18 ... Nicolds had played 116 career games prior to recording that first 20-point night. 
* - Nicolds' 22-point night at SUU eclipsed his previous career high of 18 points set in the UTRGV home win back on Dec. 29. 
* - Nicolds (121 games) became Utah Tech's career leader in games played in his start at Seattle U (2/8). 
* - Nicolds has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 12 games overall, including a 14 points last Friday vs. GCU. 
* - Like Pope, Nicolds has also started in UT's last 27 games and has averaged 11.1 ppg in those outings. 
* - Nicolds has had the hot shooting touch over his last 26 starts, having hit on 98 of his 156 (.628) shot attempts (32-of-61 3FG; .524) and 68-of-92 (.739) at the foul line.
* - Nicolds comes into Thursday's game vs. SUU seventh all-time in program history in career FG% (.544) and rebounds (432). 
* - Sophomore guard Noa Gonsalves had a night in Utah Tech's win over NM State (1/21), going off for a career-high 24 points, along with four rebounds and three assists in a game high 38-plus minutes. 
* - Gonsalves tied a career high with five 3-pointers in that win, which marked the third time this season that Gonsalves had knocked down five treys in a game.
* - Gonsalves also hit five treys against both Chapman (12/9) and Lindenwood (12/22), scoring 19 points against each opponent, which was his previous career high.  
* - Gonsalves has scored in double figures in 12 of his 31 games this season, and has drained 57 3-pointers on the year, which is good for third on UT's single season list.
* - Senior forward Dancell Leter came up clutch in overtime last Tuesday night vs. SFA, which he started with a steal and a breakaway dunk to open the scoring in the extra period.
* - Leter tallied six of his 12 bench points in OT and collected one of his two blocks.
* - Leter's 12 points vs. SFA was his 12th double-digit scoring game of the year. 
 
BLAZING TRAILS:
* - Utah Tech posted season-highs in both field goal percentage (.608, 31-of-51) and 3-point percentage (.556; 10-of-18), and went 21-of-25 (.840) from the foul line for good measure. 
* - UT's shooting night marked just second time in the program's NCAA Division I transition that the Trailblazers shot better than 60 percent in a game (.632 vs. Bethesda; 12/19/20). 
* - Utah Tech knocked down 13 of its first 16 shots and wound up with season highs of 56 first half points on 66.7 percent (20-of-30) shooting. 
* - Since the 2016-17 season, Utah Tech has shot 50 percent or better in just 61 of its last 194 games overall, though the Trailblazers have done it 12 times this season.
* - In fact, the Blazers shot better than 50 percent only four times in 31 games last season. 
* - Also dating back to the 2016-17 season, Utah Tech has had 89 of its last 197 games decided by nine points or less, including 10 of its last 14, and 31 of 84 games overall to this point of the program's Division I transition.
* - Utah Tech dished out a season-high 24 assists on its 40 made field goals in the Chapman (12/9), which are the most helpers recorded since UT racked up 25 dimes in game one vs. Bethesda last season (11/30/21) ... UT also collected 22 assists on its 33 made baskets vs. Lindenwood (12/22).
* - The Blazer defense also picked off a season best 16 steals vs. Chapman (12/9), which is the fourth-most in a single game in the program's NCAA era, and two shy of the school record of 18 set in game two vs. Bethesda last season (12/1/21). 
* - After being outrebounded in its first two games of the season, Utah Tech has won the rebounding battle in 19 of its last 30 games, highlighted by a decisive 38-25 rebounding margin at Washington (11/14), which included a 15-4 edge on the offensive glass ... UT also outrebounded Chapman by a 42-28 count (15-5 offense), and posted a season best +23 rebounding margin (51-28) in the UTRGV home win (12/29).
* - In fact, Utah Tech's 51 rebounds vs. UTRGV were a season high and the most since the Blazers pulled down 52 rebounds against, coincidentally, UTRGV last season (1/22/22).
* - However UT's rebounding margin took a big hit in the UVU loss (2/2) as the Wolverines posted a +22 edge on the glass (47-25), which was the most of any opponent to this point of the season ... UT was also outrebounded by a 44-28 count at SUU (2/17), including a 15-6 clip on the offensive glass, which resulted in SUU outscoring UT in second-chance points, 20-6.
* - Last season the Trailblazers won the "Battle of the Boards" in 15 of 31 games (10-5), this after they were outrebounded 12 times in 21 games in their D-1 debut in 2020-21 ... overall, Utah Tech has outrebounded an opponent in 109 of its last 168 games going back to the 2017-18 campaign. 
* - Utah Tech has scored 2,420 points through 32 games this season, which is good for second place on the program's top-10 single season list ... the Trailblazers need just 21 more points to break the NCAA-era school record of 2,440 points set in the 2019-20 season.  
 
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN UTAH "THUNDERBIRDS": Southern Utah finished its first regular season in the WAC with a 20-8 overall record and a third-place showing the conference standings at 12-6.
            The Thunderbirds played to a 4-4 record over their last eight regular season games, which included the home-and-home split with Utah Tech last month. 
            SUU boasts a potent scoring attack as four starters average double figures, led by first team all-WAC pick in senior guard Tevian Jones (6-7), who finished the regular season as the conference's third-leading scorer at 17.8 ppg on 39.8 percent shooting, though Utah Tech held him to 10 points on 2-of-12 shooting in the Blazers' win on Feb. 4. 
            Jones is also SUU's top 3-point threat (72-of-197; .365) 72 made 3FGs, which are third-most in the WAC, and he leads the team in free throw shooting (151-of-180; .839).
            SUU closed the regular season as the WAC's top scoring team at 83.0 ppg, and is second in scoring margin (+9.5), rebounding margin (+4.87) and field goal percentage (.470). 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE TRAILBLAZERS: The winner of Thursday's Utah Tech/SUU game will advance on the WAC Tournament semifinals to face either No. 2 seed Utah Valley or No. 7 seed Tarleton. That game is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. (PT).