5th season boosts Utah Tech star Gillen to all-time great

ST. GEORGE — Breaunna Gillen isn't sure just how close she got to wrapping up her basketball career with one season of eligibility remaining.

But after graduating from Utah Tech with a degree in population health, she admits the thought crossed her mind.

Good thing she didn't.

Gillen became the Trailblazers' all-time leading scorer Wednesday night after scoring 16 points with seven rebounds and six assists in a 78-69 loss to unbeaten California Baptist (7-0, 2-0 WAC) at Burns Arena.

After graduating last spring, the former Copper Hills standout returned for one final season to lead Utah Tech in its final year of a four-year Division I transition and scoring in double figures in all but one game she has played in 2023-24.

"If I was going to play again, I was going to play here. It's my family," Gillen told KSL.com. "Everything we built here and JD has built here, I've been here with them every step of the way. I just wanted that one more year to play with my family, and I'm glad they kept me around."

After Wednesday night, Gillen has 1,217 points, 123 rebounds and 433 assists. She's averaging 15.0 points through the first seven games of her fifth-year graduate season after averaging double-digit scoring in each of the past two seasons.

The WAC Preseason Player of the Year has the Trailblazers off to a 5-3 start, including 1-1 in Western Athletic Conference play. But even before returning for her fifth season that continues Saturday against Weber State (2 p.m MST, ESPN+), the 5-foot-9 guard was already an all-timer.

A first-team All-WAC selection a year ago, Gillen set the program's career assist record with 393 dimes in a year where she finished second in the conference at 17.8 points and 6.45 assists per game.

But the Sandy native who led the Grizzlies to four-straight region titles and was a two-time region MVP had a feeling something bigger was in store.

Mostly, she says, it's because of the confidence instilled in her by Utah Tech coach JD Gustin and his staff.

"JD and the coaching staff instilled a lot of confidence in me when I was recruited," Gillen said. "From the start, they recruited me and let me know how much they wanted me. They believed in me, and said I could do great things. I think that's one of the reasons I did come."

Gillen, who has said she wants to go to graduate school to become a physician's assistant when her playing days are up, has also overcome plenty of setbacks. A knee injury caused her to miss her team's trip to New Hampshire, which the Trailblazers won 56-46 in what was just the second game missed in her career.

"That kid is such a special kid, to believe in our program and trust in our staff and Utah Tech," an emotional Utah Tech associate head coach Nicole Yazziem, the former Bingham High and Westminster College standout, said after Wednesday night's game. "She really went through a lot of adversity, and has gotten better each and every year. She is one heck of a leader, and she gives everything to her teammates. She's the most humble kid out there. I couldn't be more proud of her, and we're lucky that she's here at Utah Tech."

The other 99 games of her career, including 73-straight game before Nov. 22, she owes to the team's medical staff and a group of players who likewise compete regularly with a variety of ailment.

Take a snapshot of Utah Tech's roster during a game, and you'll likely see 3-5 players on the court wearing knee braces or sleeves, much like Gillen does on her left leg.

"I think that's just how we are," Gillen said with a chuckle. "We want to be tough, and we have girls who will play through pain or whatever is going on, including life in general or stuff that comes from basketball. I love these girls; they're awesome."

Picked to finish fourth in the WAC, the Trailblazers are in their final year of Division I transition and final season before being eligible for the NCAA Tournament in 2024-25.

But Utah Tech will be able to return to the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, where Gillen hopes to build on last season's historic first postseason win in the program's short Division I history.

Propelled by the team's history-making fifth-year leader, the sky is the limit for the Trailblazers.

"I have high hopes for this year," Gillen said, "and I know we're capable of doing it."

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