Utah Tech Faces UC Riverside in Saturday Matinee
Game #10
Who | Utah Tech (4-5) vs. UC Riverside (4-3)
when | Saturday, Nov. 29 – 3 p.m.
Where | Burns arena – St. George, Utah
Broadcast | ESPN+ / 99.5 The Fan Sports network
Social Media | instagram + Twitter (X) + #UtahTechBlazers
SCOUTING UC RIVERSIDE
UC Riverside is 4-3 on the season coming off a pair of wins defeating San Diego on the road last Friday, 85-71 and Grambling State on Monday at home, 83-74.
The Highlanders opened the season with back-to-back wins over La Sierra (90-49) and at North Dakota (74-70), but than dropped three straight contests at New Mexico, at home against North Dakota and at WAC member California Baptist.
UCR is coming off a 21-13 overall record in 2024-25 and finished in a tie for third in the Big West regular season standings with CSUN with a 14-6 mark. The Highlanders advanced to the NIT falling in the first round to Santa Clara.
The Highlanders were picked ninth out of 11 teams in the preseason Big West coaches’ poll.
As a team, UC Riverside leads the Big West in free throw percentage (75.5) & three point percentage defense (28.6) while ranking third in blocks per game (4.3) and three point percentage (36.5).
Individually, senior guard Andrew Henderson ranks fourth in the Big West in points per game (17.9) and tops the league in three-pointers made (21) and three point attempts (52).
Junior forward Osiris Grady, a transfer from Utah Valley, ranks second in the Big West in rebounds (52) and is sixth in free throw percentage (85.2)
Junior guard Marqui Worthy, Henderson & Grady are each averaging the top three minutes per game in the league all totaling over 32 minutes per contest.
SERIES HISTORY VS. UC RIVERSIDE
The Trailblazers and Highlanders are meeting for the first time in program history.
UTAH TECH VS. BIG WEST OPPONENTS
UC Riverside is the fifth current Big West opponent the Trailblazers will have played joining Cal State Fullerton (1-0),CSUN (1-3),UC San Diego (2-4) and Hawai’i (0-1).
LAST TIME OUT VS. PORTLAND STATE
The Trailblazers stumbled in the final minutes on Tuesday night falling 68-63 to Portland State at Burns Arena.
Utah Tech, taking on a future Big Sky opponent for the second time in two seasons, were lead by a pair of Trailblazers in double figures.
Ethan Potter led UT with 18 points of 9-of-13 shooting from the field.
Utah tech Trailblazers Men’s Basketball: Recent Results & Upcoming Schedule
The Utah Tech Trailblazers men’s basketball team has recently competed in a series of games, showcasing strong individual performances and a dominant home win. They are preparing to face Santa Clara on Wednesday night.
Key Player Performances:
* Noa Poulsen: Currently ranks second in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in free throw percentage, shooting at a 90.0% clip. https://www.wacsports.com/sports/mbb/stats/2023-24/players
* Masen Holt: Leads the WAC with 97 field goal attempts and is tied for third in the conference with 13 steals. https://www.wacsports.com/sports/mbb/stats/2023-24/players
Recent Games:
* Dominant Win vs. Nobel University (Nov.21): Utah Tech defeated Nobel University 96-48 in a decisive victory at Burns Arena. Masen Holt led the team with 17 points, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.he also recorded a season-high three blocks, along with two rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 25 minutes. The Trailblazers shot a season-best 59.3% (32-of-54) from the field and 78.1% (25-of-32) from the free throw line, outrebounding the Knights 42-33.
* OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic (Nov. 12-15): Utah tech went 1-2 at the tournament hosted by the University of Hawai’i. They secured an 81-75 double-overtime win against Mississippi Valley State, but fell to Manhattan 79-75 and Hawai’i 68-62.
* All-Tournament Honors: Jacob Potter and Josh Trujillo were named to the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic All-Tournament team. Potter recorded double-doubles against manhattan (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Mississippi Valley State (22 points, 13 rebounds), and led the team with 15 points against Hawai’i. Trujillo averaged 12 points, two assists, and a steal over the three games, scoring 15 points against Manhattan with four three-pointers.
Burns Arena Success:
The Trailblazers boast a strong record at Burns Arena, holding an overall record of 172-64 (.729) in the NCAA era. They have achieved 14 winning seasons in 19 seasons playing in St.George and were undefeated at home (12-0) during the 2008-09 season. this season, they are 2-1 at home and 37-34 (.521) in Division I play at Burns Arena.
Upcoming Game:
Utah Tech will face Santa Clara (6-0) on Wednesday, December 6th, at 8 p.m. MT at Leavey Center in Santa Clara, California. https://uthtrailblazers.com/news/2023/11/29/mens-basketball-trailblazers-open-december-at-santa-clara