ST. GEORGE — Macie Warren led all scorers with 23 points, while Breaunna Gillen added 20, to lead Utah Tech women’s basketball to a 78-71 victory over in-state rival Southern Utah on Thursday night inside the Burns Arena.
The Trailblazers (9-8 overall, 3-3 in Western Athletic Conference) led wire-to-wire, thanks in large part to a hot start as they opened the game 8-of-10 from the floor to bolt out to a 20-11 lead at the 3:36 mark of the first quarter, according to a news release.
All five starters scored, led by the twin duo of Macie Warren and Maddie Warren, who combined to score 13 of Utah Tech’s 28 points in the frame as the Blazers led 28-20 after 10 minutes.
The two sides got off to a shaky start to begin the second stanza, though Utah Tech was able to extend to a 38-25 cushion with three-plus minutes to go until halftime thanks to three Gillen points and a Macie Warren 3-pointer.
SUU (4-11, 2-4) stayed within striking distance, closing the half with a 7-1 spurt to trim the deficit to seven at 39-32.
The Thunderbirds carried that momentum into the second half, eventually making it a one-possession game at 41-38 following two from Ava Uhrich with 7:40 to go in the frame.
Utah Tech then flipped the switch, outscoring SUU 21-4 over the next six-plus minutes to race out to its biggest lead of the night at 62-42 with 1:09 remaining in the third.
Nine of those points came off the shooting hand of Macie Warren, who went 3-for-3 from the perimeter, while Maddie Warren scored five of her seven points of the period during the run.
But Southern Utah mounted one final charge in the fourth, scoring seven straight points as part of a 15-5 run to pare the Blazer lead to seven at 69-62 with 3:03 to play.
Gillen finally stopped the rally with a bucket and free throw, and Macie Warren pushed the Utah Tech lead to 12 at 74-62 with a lay-in with 1:58 to go. The Trailblazers held on from there to claim their first-ever victory over their neighbors from Iron County.
Macie Warren went 7-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from downtown, and wound up with her second-straight double-double, and fifth of the year overall, as she pulled down a co-team high 10 rebounds.
On a night when she became Utah Tech’s career leader in games played, Gillen (108 games) knocked down seven of her 16 shots and filled the stat sheet with seven boards, three assists and one steal.
Meanwhile, Maddie Warren recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. Warren went 7-of-11 from the floor and dished out a season-high five assists.
A week after the Trailblazers did not register a single point off their bench, sophomore forward Alyson Deaver poured in a WAC career-high 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 19 minutes reserve minutes.
Utah Tech shot 48.3 percent (28-of-58) from the floor and went 8-of-19 (.421) from the perimeter. The Blazers also hit on 14-of-20 (.700) at the foul line.
Daylani Ballena led three Trailblazers in double figures with 23 points. SUU connected on 26-of-70 (.371) from the floor, which included a 6-of-27 (.22) clip from beyond the arc.
Utah Tech continues the homestand on Saturday afternoon with another in-state battle vs. Utah Valley. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is set for 2 p.m.