Weber State University women’s basketball continued their Big Sky Conference stretch on the road against Eastern Washington University and the University of Idaho.
After enjoying a 4-game interconference winning streak, the Wildcats’ season has faltered. They lost their first four conference games against Portland State University; California State University, Sacramento; Northern Arizona University and the University of Northern Colorado.
That made the games on Jan. 15 and Jan. 17 imperative.
Weber vs. Eastern Washington
Jenteal Jackson’s squad traveled to Cheney, Washington, to play the 8–8 Eagles.
The two teams went back and forth with five lead changes in the first quarter. Weber caught fire in the final minutes of the quarter with a 9–0 run to take a 14–6 lead.
However, the Eagles responded by scoring the final 11 points to take a 17–14 lead.
Eastern Washington’s hot streak continued into the second quarter. They made two layups and a free throw to take a 22–14 lead. The Wildcats hung around with the first half winding down, but still entered the locker room down 36–27.
Wildcat Paris Lauro led the team with 13 points in the first half, going 5-for-7 and 3-for-4 from three.
Eastern Washington built upon their 9-point lead in the third quarter. They hung around the arc attempting 11 3-points, making five. Weber went 1-for-5.
While the Wildcats played a cleaner fourth quarter, finishing with a negative two point differential, the 13-point deficit was too much to overcome.
The 73–58 loss to the Eastern Washington dropped Weber State’s record to 6–12.
Lanae Billy’s 15 points led Weber State, followed by Antoniette Emma-Nnopu’s 12 points and Sydney White’s eight points.
Weber vs. Idaho
Looking to stop the 5-game skid, the Wildcats traveled to Moscow, Idaho, to play the 12–5 Idaho Vandals on Jan. 17.
Idaho’s No. 1-ranked offense outscored Weber 33–19 in the first quarter. The Vandals took 22 shots, making 14. Meanwhile, the Wildcats attempted nine shots, hitting four of them.
While the Wildcats’ scoring picked up in the second quarter, their opponent continued their offensive dominance.
Weber went 9-for-16 from the field and scored 23 points. Idaho matched Weber’s point total, going 7-for-18 on field goals.
Idaho held the lead for 19:30 and took a 56–42 lead into the second half. Their 56 points put them within 25 points of their season average of 79.1 points per game.
Emma-Nnopu led the Wildcats with nine points.
Weber State chipped away at the deficit in the third quarter. After an initial 6–0 Idaho run to open the second half, Weber bounced back by scoring 23 of the final 40 points to make it a 79–67 game at the end of the third.
From there, the Wildcats scored only nine points in the final quarter, but their defense, after three rough quarters, allowed only 16 points.
The 95–76 loss drops Weber State to 6-12 and 0-6 in the conference. It is their fifth double-digit loss in their last six games.
Fui Niumeitolu, Hannah Robbins and Arizana Peaua led the Wildcats with 11 points each.
Weber State will return home to play a struggling University of Montana game on Jan. 22 and one of the Big Sky’s top teams, Montana State University, on Jan. 24.
