After suffering an 80–77 home loss to Sacramento State University on Feb. 20, Weber State responded with a 60–58 victory over Portland State University on Feb. 22 at the Dee Events Center. Blaise Threatt delivered the game-winning jumper in the final second, lifting the Wildcats to a conference win.
Weber State (10–19, 4–11 Big Sky) faced early struggles against the Portland State Vikings, similar to Thursday’s game against Sacramento State, where the Hornets shot 55% from the field and knocked down 15 3-pointers. Despite a career-high 24 points from sophomore Viljami Vartiainen and a strong performance from Threatt, the Wildcats fell short after Jacob Holt’s late 3-pointer that sealed the win for the Hornets.
Looking to rebound from that loss, Weber State started slow against Portland State (16–12, 8–7 Big Sky), falling behind 10–2 early. The Vikings extended their lead to 20–9 midway through the first half before Weber State responded with an 11–0 run to tie the game at 20. Portland State carried a 26–23 lead into halftime.
Portland State opened the second half strong, going on an 11–2 run to take a 39–31 lead. Weber State fought back and cut the deficit to one, but another scoring drought allowed the Vikings to regain control. A 10–0 run put Portland State ahead 49–38 with 6:34 left, putting the Wildcats in danger of another loss.
Weber State, however, dominated the final stretch, outscoring the Vikings 22–9. Threatt, who struggled early and missed his first six shots, erupted for 19 second-half points, including 12 in the closing minutes.
Freshman Trevor Hennig played a key role with 15 points, while Vartiainen added 8, including a clutch 3-pointer late in the game. Weber State tied the game at 58 in the final minute before Threatt dribbled up the floor and drained an 18-foot jumper with one second remaining to clinch the win.
“It shows our team that we can beat anybody, coach has been preaching all year that this league is pretty steady and talented and there’s not really a front-runner team, so if we can beat a team like that — that we know is hungry and athletic — then we can beat anybody,” Threatt said.
The Wildcats shot 41% from the field and made just three three-pointers on 16 attempts, tying a season-low. They outrebounded the Vikings 35–34 and recorded seven steals and four blocked shots.
“It’s great to get a win when we’re setting the bottom of the Big Sky,” senior Alex Tew said. “It’s not been great recently, but to get a win, any win, I think right now is gonna be probably the best feeling we can have.”
The Wildcats currently are in ninth place in the Big Sky with only Sacramento State behind them. The win over Portland State marked the Wildcats second home win in conference play.
The University of Montana and the University of Northern Colorado are currently the top two seeds in the Big Sky conference. Montana has a 13–2 conference record and UNC has a 13–3 record. Given the season’s progress, the Wildcats will likely finish in the bottom two in the Big Sky.
Following the split home games, Weber State will hit the road for two key conference matchups against Eastern Washington University and the University of Idaho before returning home for their final regular season game against the University of Northern Colorado on March 3.
The Wildcats will then head to Boise, Idaho, for the Big Sky Tournament, scheduled for March 8-12.
