After back-to-back wins, the Utah Tech University women’s basketball team has a perfect 2-0 record to start the season.
Utah Tech tipped off the start of the season by dominating the University of La Verne scoring 115-69. The Trailblazers then secured the victory Nov. 9 over Jacksonville State University with a final score of 73-58. Both games were played at home in the Burns Arena.
This was the second matchup in school history between the Trailblazers and the Gamecocks. Last season in Las Vegas, Utah Tech led 25-9 after the first quarter but couldn’t maintain their shooting touch, resulting in a 68-50 win for Jacksonville State.
Macie Warren, a redshirt sophomore history major from Lehi, who suffered an ACL injury cutting her season short last year, said that going to rehab every day paid off.
“Nothing beats the feeling of being back and the feeling of game day,” Macie Warren said. “I want to say to the injured athletes that are going through it, that it’s completely worth it to work hard in rehab and to be able to get back on the court.”
Macie Warren was one of the key players for the Trailblazers in the win over the Gamecocks. She was the third-leading scorer for Utah Tech and went four for five on three-pointers. Macie Warren said the team’s ability to not panic is what helped them stay in the game.
There are lessons that can be learned, even from a win. Head coach J.D. Gustin said the game served as an early-season assessment of the team’s physicality and the level of physical intensity they need to maintain.
“We know they [Jacksonville state] are a very physical team, so our plan was to be physical back,” Gustin said. “To keep them off the offensive glass, but we didn’t do a very good job at that as they got 20 offensive rebounds.”
Gustin said the team did a great job staying resilient throughout the game, especially after one of their leaders, Emily Isaacson, went out with an injury early in the second quarter. Isaacson jumped up to contest a shot late in the second quarter. On her way down, she landed wrong and was helped off the court. She sat out the rest of the game.
Maddie Warren, a redshirt sophomore history major from Lehi, brought the energy back up quickly after hitting a three-pointer. Maddie Warren said the team continued to bring the energy by consistently exchanging high fives and celebrating each time someone made a play.
“We had to rally around each other when Emily Isaacson went down,” Maddie Warren said. “We had to come together and it was a challenge for us, but we came together and played with each other as one.”
Maddie Warren also helped lead Utah Tech to victory against Jacksonville State as she was the second-leading scorer with 20 points.
Utah Tech is set to embark on a five-game road trip starting with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Nov. 14.
The next five Utah Tech women’s basketball games include:
- UNLV – Nov. 14
- Texas A&M University-Commerce – Nov. 20
- University of New Hampshire – Nov. 22
- Stonehill College – Nov. 25
- Utah Valley University – Dec. 2
Maddie Warren said the ultimate goal for the team this season is to play hard and win the Western Athletic Conference.
“We just got to show up every day,” Maddie Warren said. “We got to get one percent better every day and come ready to work every day. If we want to win the WAC, we got to be tough and ride it out.”
