Utah Tech’s Frank Staine follows through on a free throw during in the Trailblazers’ 69-63 win over Cal State Northridge Nov. 12 at Burns Arena | Photo courtesy of Utah Tech Athletics, St. George News
ST. GEORGE — It will be a homecoming of sorts for Coach Jon Judkins and the Utah Tech men’s basketball team Thursday night. But it won’t be in St. George.
Judkins and the Trailblazers (3-4 overall) will be in Logan to face the 5-0 Utah State Aggies, Judkins’ alma mater, for a non-conference matchup at 7 p.m. inside Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
Live stats and streaming audio/video information for Thursday night’s game can be found on the Utah Tech men’s basketball web page.
Judkins graduated from Utah State with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1988. He was part of the Aggie program for three seasons and is one of two Aggies in program history to post a triple-double (11 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists vs. Pacific on March 3, 1988). During the 1987-88 season, he helped lead USU to a PCAA championship and an NCAA Tournament bid.
Aggies on win streak
Utah State is off to a 5-0 start to the season, with four of the Aggies’ five wins coming at home, including a 95-85 win over Oral Roberts their last time out on Nov. 22.
USU boasts four players averaging double figures, led by junior sharpshooting guard Steven Ashworth, who is scoring at a 19.0 points per game clip on 56.3 percent shooting off the bench, including a 55.6 percent (20-of-36) from the perimeter. Meanwhile, Saint Joseph’s graduate transfer Taylor Funk is averaging nearly a double-double at 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds a game, and he is a perimeter threat, having hit on 19-of-35 (.543) from beyond the arc in five starts.
Ryan Odom (Syracuse, 1993) is in his second season as Utah State head coach (23-16 at USU; 149-97 overall). Prior to his time in Logan, Odom coached five years at UMBC, where he led the first-ever No. 16-seed victory over a No. 1-seed in NCAA Tournament history when his Retrievers defeated top-seeded Virginia (74-54) in 2018.
Blazers split 2 over weekend
Utah Tech came away with a split of two Thanksgiving weekend games in North Dakota.
After opening the trip with a 67-52 loss to the host UND Fighting Hawks last Friday, the Trailblazers bounced back with a 66-60 neutral site win over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday afternoon.
Five Trailblazers scored in double figures in a balanced scoring attack to come away with the hard-fought victory in a game that featured 12 ties and 10 lead changes.
Utah Tech concludes its seven-game road odyssey Saturday, Dec. 3, with its first-ever trip to Ogden to play at in-state foe Weber State. Tip-off inside the Dee Events Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.