SAINT GEORGE – Beginning a three-game homestand hosting one of three teams tied atop the Western Athletic Conference standings, the Utah Tech University men’s basketball team outlasted the University of Texas at Arlington in a double-overtime battle on Feb. 5, 87-84.
The opening half was back-and-forth throughout, with the Trailblazers jumping out to an 8-4 lead after three quick Ethan Potter points under four minutes into the game.
Neither team would lead by more than four over the remainder of the first half, as a Chance Trujillo layup put UT in front 26-25 with 6:08 left, the final lead of the frame for the home team.
UT Arlington would use a 5-0 run to get in front 30-26, but Utah Tech battled back to make it a one-point game at the break, 34-33.
Second half
The Mavericks continued to hold a slim lead in the opening minutes of the second half, leading 40-38 with under 17 minutes remaining.
The Trailblazers answered by ripping off a 10-0 run, as five points each from Potter and Trujillo put UT ahead 48-40 five minutes into the period.
Utah Tech would push its advantage to ten, 52-42, before UTA battled back to cut the deficit to three, 53-50, at the under-12 timeout.
Following a Potter injury after taking an elbow to the head, the Trailblazers stayed in front, making it an eight-point game off a Dario Domingos tip-in with under 11 minutes to play, 58-50.
The Mavericks had an answer, however, using a 15-4 spurt to take a 65-62 lead with 4:38 left.
Potter’s return sparked UT, as six straight points put them back in front, 68-65. A UT Arlington triple tied the score just moments later, and the game remained tied with under a minute left.
With the Mavericks in front 72-71, Potter stepped to the free throw line with five seconds to go. He missed the first attempt but sank the second, sending the game to overtime tied at 72.
Overtimes
The two teams traded blows in the first extra period, but UTA held a 78-76 lead with 1:34 left.
With ten seconds on the clock, Jusaun Holt knocked down a step-back mid-range jumper to tie it at 78 and send the game to a second overtime.
The Trailblazers woud take an 84-80 lead in the second extra session, but the Mavericks battled back to tie the score with 15 seconds to go.
With the game on the line, Chance Trujillo knocked down a three-pointer with 1.3 seconds to play to win it for Utah Tech, 87-84.
“Most importantly, we got the dub. That was a team win, double overtime, it was a gritty win,” Trujillo, a sophomore management major from Kaysville, said postgame.
The Snow College transfer dropped 22 points, a new career-high, off the bench in the win.
“I think it’s been a common theme our entire season, just trying to thrive in adversity. Each and every day, every game that we play, I think we’re getting a little bit better, just a next-play mentality.” Trujillo added.
Utah Tech has now won four straight games, but the win very well might not have happened if not for a strong game from big man Dario Domingos off the bench.
During Potter’s injury absence, Domingos, a sixth-year player from Midland, Texas, suiting up at his fifth school, saw extended minutes.
In ten minutes of playing time, Domingos finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds, shooting a perfect 5-5 from the field.
What made the win even sweeter for Domingos was that UT Arlington was one of the schools he once attended.
“I’ll be honest, I think it was really one of my best games of the season. We’ve got some guys hurt, and I just started to get on the court and do my best. And it was really personal for me with it being against UTA,” Domingos said.
The win also moves Utah Tech into a three-way tie for first in the win column in the WAC standings, at 7-4 in conference play and 14-11 overall.
“I was proud of them; they battled hard. We had chances to pull away, but we just couldn’t keep increasing the lead. We also had chances where we could have just stopped and quit, and our guys didn’t,” UT head coach Jon Judkins said.
“What a gutty effort, they’re (UTA) a good team. It was a battle, no question. We always say the toughest teams win, so let’s go out and be tough,” he added.
Up next
Next up, the Trailblazers will be in action at the Burns Arena, hosting first-place Utah Valley in the Old Hammer Rivalry on Feb. 12.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
This article was originally written for Utah Tech’s student newspaper, Sun News.
Photo credit: Stan Plewe, Utah Tech Athletics.
