ST. GEORGE — In a roller coaster of a game, the Trailblazers ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and fell to UT-Arlington 72-57 Thursday afternoon.
Utah Tech’s season ends with an 18-14 overall record, including a 12-8 finish in the Western Athletic Conference.
The Trailblazers earned the No. 4 seed at the Hercules Tire WAC Tournament, their second consecutive appearance at the postseason event held at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UT-Arlington defeated Southern Utah 67-53 in the opening round, setting up the quarterfinal matchup with Utah Tech.
The Trailblazers beat the Mavericks both times the teams tangled in the WAC regular season.
The Mavericks didn’t give the Trailblazers any room to work in their third meeting, taking a 20-6 lead in the first quarter.
But the resilient team from Utah Tech answered back with a 21-8 second quarter and trailed 28-27 going into halftime.
The teams matched intensity in the third quarter and Utah Tech had a 47-46 lead going into the final session.
Then UT-Arlington shut the door on the shorthanded Trailblazers, who were without Maddie Warren and Macie Warren, the twin connection that played such a vital role in Utah Tech’s offense.
Macie Warren was lost to a knee injury earlier in the season while Maddie Warren was helped off the floor, also with a knee injury, in Utah Tech’s home finale win over Stephen F. Austin March 9 in St. George.
UT-Arlington secured the quarterfinal win with a 26-10 showing in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks kept Utah Tech under wraps and held the Trailblazers to 20-for-56 shooting from the field.
Utah Tech’s 3-point shooting, their bread and butter for most of the season, totaled 5-for-22 in the contest.
The Mavericks combined for 24 assists and scored 10 points off of 10 Utah Tech turnovers. UT-Arlington posted 12 fast break points compared to the Trailblazers three.
Avery Brittingham led the Mavericks with a game-high 27 points. UT-Arlington advanced to face No. 1 seed Cal Baptist in the semifinals..
Breaunna Gillen, in her final game as a Trailblazer, led Utah Tech with 21 points.
The fifth-year guard leaves Utah Tech as the school’s all-time leading scorer (1,608 points) and assists leader (555). She also finished ranked third all-time in rebounds (607) and steals (132).
Gillen was named first team all-WAC for the second-straight season on Monday. She was also voted as the 2023-24 WAC Preseason Player of the Year and was twice named the WAC Player of the Week.
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