Weber State University suffered a tough week at home, dropping back-to-back games against the University of Idaho (82–74) and Eastern Washington University (72–49) at the Dee Events Center. Despite strong performances from Blaise Threatt, the Wildcats struggled to contain their opponents’ offense and faced issues with efficiency on both ends of the floor. Weber’s senior guard, Miguel Tomley, will be sidelined indefinitely due to a health issue. Tomley, who averaged 11.2 points per game this season, has been dealing with the situation for some time and will step away to focus on his recovery. His performance this season included a dip in shooting, with 32% from three-point range and 9.3 points per game in Big Sky competition.
Sophomore Viljami Vartiainen is expected to fill the starting shooting guard role in Tomley’s absence. Vartiainen scored a career-high 22 points in the Wildcats’ recent win against Sacramento State University.
Weber State vs. Idaho
Weber State opened the homestand against Idaho but couldn’t keep pace with the Vandals’ sharp perimeter shooting. Idaho knocked down 13 3-pointers, shooting 36.1% from three.
Threatt led Weber State with 19 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Dyson Koehler added 13 points and Viljami Vartiainen finished with 11. The Wildcats shot 49% from the field but struggled at the free-throw line, converting just 15-of-24 (62.5%).
Tyler Mrus fueled Idaho’s offense with 21 points, hitting four three-pointers, while Kristian Gonzalez added 14 points, going 10-for-13 from the free-throw line. Idaho’s ability to get to the free-throw line and control the tempo proved decisive.
“We let them get too many open looks,” head coach Eric Duft said. “You can’t win close games when you give up that many threes and don’t convert your free throws.”
Eastern Washington vs. Weber State 72–49
Hoping to rebound against Eastern Washington, the Wildcats instead suffered one of their worst offensive performances of the season. Weber State shot 27.3% from the field and couldn’t overcome early shooting struggles as the Eagles took control.
Threatt once again led the way with 17 points, five rebounds and two assists, but he lacked offensive support. Vartiainen was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 13 points, while the rest of the team struggled to find a rhythm.
“We’ll have nights where we’ll obviously shoot better than that, and right no,w I think we have a team that’s trying so hard that we’re playing worse,” Duft said.
Eastern Washington dominated the rebounding battle, outboarding Weber 44–34, and got a game-high 27 points from Andrew Cook, who shot 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. The Eagles took a double-digit lead early in the second half and never allowed Weber to recover.
With the losses, Weber State falls to 8–15 overall and 2–7 in the Big Sky Conference. The Wildcats are tied for last in the conference with Sacramento State and are down 4–0 at the Dee and down 3–2 on the road. The ‘Cats will host the University of Northern Arizona on Feb. 3 and Idaho State University on Feb. 8 at the Dee Events Center; both games start at 7 p.m.