LAKE CHARLES – Utah Tech's Aaliyah Ibarra scored a career-high 36 points that included five 3-point baskets, four of those coming in consecutive fashion in the second quarter, and the Trailblazers held McNeese scoreless for more than five minutes in the final period to help it prevail, 79-69 over the Cowgirls on Saturday afternoon.
 
The loss was the first of the season suffered at home by the Cowgirls (3-3) while Utah Tech improved to 4-2 while winning away from home for the first time.
 
Kyla Davis led the Cowgirls with 16 points while Mireia Yespes added 13.
 
McNeese shot above its season average in field goal shooting, hitting 44 percent (28-64) but a poor fourth quarter (4-15 for 27 percent) proved to be the difference.
 
The Cowgirls led 25-20 at the end of the first quarter and trailed 48-46 at the half.
 
A layup by Azjah Reeves with 3:30 to play in the first quarter gave McNeese a 22-12 lead and capped a 10-0 run. Utah Tech finished off the quarter on an 8-3 run then scored the first five points of the second quarter to tie the game 25-25 after the first of four straight threes by Ibarra.
 
UT took its first lead of the quarter following Ibarra's second trey to make it 28-27 but Davis answered with a 3 of her own to put McNeese back on top and starting an 8-0 run over the next two minutes and a 35-28 lead with 5:33 to play in the half.
 
Later in the quarter, Ibarra hit a couple of free throws that tied the game 40-40 with 2:03 on the clock, then knocked in two straight 3s in a 33 second span with under a minute to play to give her team a 48-46 lead at the half.
 
The Trailblazers led for much of the third quarter until McNeese's Kiayra Ellis scored on a layup to put the Cowgirls up 60-59 with 1:089 remaining. UT's Chardonnay Hartely scored on a fast break with 27 seconds left to give UT a 61-60 advantage at the end of the third period.
 
UT outscored McNeese 18-9 in the last quarter and held the Cowgirls to just 4 of 15 shooting in the frame.
 
The Cowgirls didn't make their first field goal until the 2:45 mark when Ellis hit a jumper that closed the gap to 74-63. McNeese went a span of 5:17 in the period without a point.
 
McNeese will return to action on Wednesday evening at 5:30 when it hosts St. Thomas.