Late Comeback Falls Short As Utah Tech Falls To Santa Clara
Nov 8, 2023, 10:30 PM
(Photo courtesy of Utah Tech Athletics)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Tech Athletics)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Utah Tech Trailblazers fell to the Santa Clara Broncos on the road despite leading a late comeback.
The Blazers lost by eight, 77-69, despite David Elliott pouring in 24 off the bench.
First Half
The Trailblazers jumped out in front early.
Behind buckets from Tanner Christensen and Noa Gonsalves, Utah Tech led 7-0 over the Broncos.
Noa drains a shot from deep and we’re up 7️⃣-0️⃣ just 70 seconds into this one😤#UtahTechBlazers | #UniteTheFamily x #IntoTheStorm pic.twitter.com/iv7a5tNSyU
— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) November 9, 2023
Santa Clara stormed back to take an 8-7 lead.
Utah Tech ran the break and great ball movement led to a powerful answer.
Steal ▶️ pass ▶️ dunk 👏#UtahTechBlazers | #UniteTheFamily pic.twitter.com/HH7b4Cxdqx
— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) November 9, 2023
Santa Clara continued its momentum and began tearing up the Trailblazers defense.
The Broncos went on a 26-8 run to open up a big lead.
Tyeree with the second-chance slam 💥#StampedeAhead pic.twitter.com/ug56llmGgG
— Santa Clara Men’s Basketball (@SantaClaraHoops) November 9, 2023
Utah Tech was able to fight back and get the lead under 20.
Freshman Tennessee Rainwater showed off his moves with an and-one for his first collegiate points.
AND ONE 💪
What a way to score your first collegiate points🔥#UtahTechBlazers | #UniteTheFamily x #IntoTheStorm pic.twitter.com/3nbbtC5vBA
— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) November 9, 2023
The Trailblazers were able to close the Santa Clara lead down to 12 before the break.
Utah Tech looked to continue the comeback in the second half as they trailed 41-29.
Down at the break. pic.twitter.com/D55CgS4x3W
— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) November 9, 2023
Second Half
The Broncos had other plans in mind after the break.
They held Utah Tech to just 10 points in the first nine minutes of the half.
However, the Trailblazer defense looked just as good. They kept the lead around ten despite the offensive struggles.
GET UP BIG FELLA 😤
Tanner fights through contact with a strong finish to bring us within single digits!#UtahTechBlazers | #UniteTheFamily x #IntoTheStorm pic.twitter.com/UzY9TgYiHq
— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) November 9, 2023
With nine minutes left in regulation, Santa Clara increased their lead all the way to 18.
Utah Tech began to open up another run. They closed the lead down to eight in just three minutes.
IT’S DAVID’S WORLD AND WE’RE LIVING IN IT‼️
At 8:06 we were down by 19… at 7:29 we’re down 10 after he scores six-straight 🤯#UtahTechBlazers | #UniteTheFamily x #IntoTheStorm pic.twitter.com/9KAPbBqE3H
— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) November 9, 2023
The Trailblazers struggled to close the lead any further.
With two minutes left, Utah Tech was still down by nine. This lead would hold strong for the rest of the game.
Utah Tech fell to Santa Clara on the road, 77-69.
Some late momentum but we fall in Santa Clara. pic.twitter.com/x8hZBkx9ND
— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) November 9, 2023
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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
