Second Half Comeback Falls Short As Utah Tech Drops To Tarleton State

ST. GEORGE, Utah – The Utah Tech Trailblazers lost to the Tarleton State Texans after going down by 19 in the first half.

The Blazers closed the lead all the way down to single digits in the second half but their comeback hopes were dashed by the Texans.

Five Blazers reached double figures but a combined 45 points from Jakorie Smith and Devon Barnes erased that scoring.

Final in the Burns #UtahTechBlazers | #UniteTheFamily x #IntoTheStorm pic.twitter.com/RwgeCGrFRH

— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) March 1, 2024

First Half

The opening minutes set the tone for the rest of the game for the Trailblazers.

Utah Tech fell down 17-2 in the first five minutes and couldn’t build any momentum.

There was really only one glimmer of hope for the Blazers in the first half. They went on an 18-6 run and closed the lead to three with ten minutes left.

After that run, the Texans took off once again. They opened a 14-5 run of their own and the lead was back up to double digits just like that.

Halftime Stats:
Noa Gonsalves is Utah Tech’s top scorer with 9 pts, Unisa Turay with 8 pts off the bench.
Utah Tech – 39.3 FG% (11-28) / 40.0 3FG% (4-10).#UtahTechBlazers | #WACmbb | #WAChoops | ##UniteTheFamily x ##IntoTheStorm

— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) March 1, 2024

Noa Gonsalves and Unisa Turay led the Blazers in the first half with 9 and 8 points respectively.

Meanwhile, three Texans reached double figures in the first 20 minutes which included Jakorie Smith with 18 points.

Utah Tech shot just 39.3% from the field to Tarleton State’s 55.6%. The Texans had nine more rebounds and five fewer turnovers as well.

The Trailblazers trailed by 19 at the break.

Halftime #UtahTechBlazers | #UniteTheFamily x #IntoTheStorm pic.twitter.com/R5uYjvxb5h

— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) March 1, 2024

Second Half

The second half was much more competitive.

The Blazers outscored the Texans 10-9 in the first five minutes of the half.

2H – Tennessee Rainwater with the dribble drive and bucket.#UtahTechBlazers | #WACmbb | #WAChoops | #UniteTheFamily x #IntoTheStorm pic.twitter.com/VWUH7PNcZ5

— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) March 1, 2024

But the Blazers weren’t done there.

Utah Tech opened an 18-9 run and trailed by eight with seven minutes left.

Big man Tanner Christensen was relentless for the Blazers as he scored bucket after bucket on the inside.

2H – Tanner Christensen’s nimble footwork leads to the reserve lay-in. #UtahTechBlazers | #WACmbb | #WAChoops | #UniteTheFamily x #IntoTheStorm pic.twitter.com/l6I8MVvYSl

— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) March 1, 2024

It seemed like whenever Christensen missed, he was going to the line for two.

Utah Tech gave Tarleton State a scare and they locked in down the final stretch.

With four minutes left, the Texans went back up by 10.

2H – Tennessee Rainwater drives baseline for the easy two.#UtahTechBlazers | #WACmbb | #WAChoops | #UniteTheFamily x #IntoTheStorm pic.twitter.com/6JyhdcpIdu

— Utah Tech Men’s Basketball (@UtahTechMBB) March 1, 2024

Tarleton State held onto its lead in the final minutes and went on to secure the win.

Utah Tech fell to 10-18 on the season with the loss.

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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.

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