Coming off two straight road wins over Northern Arizona University and the University of Northern Colorado, the Weber State University men’s basketball team returned home to take on Eastern Washington University and the University of Idaho.
Weber vs. Eastern Washington
On Jan. 15, the Eastern Washington Eagles traveled to the Dee Events Center to take on the Wildcats.
The Eagles had to deal with a tough atmosphere as the Weber Institute of Religion hosted its annual men’s basketball tailgate, which drew a large number of Institute students to the student section, “The Destruction,” where they cheered for the Wildcats.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with the teams trading the lead throughout. Going into the locker room, Eastern Washington held a 44–42 lead.
In the second half, the Eagles came out hot and got a 54–44 lead with 15 minutes left. However, the Wildcats battled back, tying the game with a 3-pointer by Tijan Saine Jr. with 10 minutes remaining.
The Wildcats kept up their momentum until the end, winning the game 90–81 to win their fourth straight.
“We just flipped that switch, really,” Saine said. “Coach said we got to turn up, so we just turned up. We have a new thing where, ‘We’re not going to be the prey, we’re going to hunt.’”
“It wasn’t always pretty tonight, but the guys played really, really hard,” Head Coach Eric Duft said after the game. “Got down 10, didn’t look good, playing poorly. Then we found it. We had some guys step up.”
With that win, the Wildcats moved to 4–1 in conference play and were tied for second in the Big Sky Conference.
Weber vs Idaho
Two nights after losing to their in-state rivals, Idaho State University, the University of Idaho went down south to Ogden to take on the Wildcats.
The game started as poor for the Wildcats, as they failed to score for the first five minutes, until Viljami Vartiainen hit an and-one 3-pointer, followed by a made free throw, to make it 10–4.
However, the onslaught continued, as the Vandals got their lead up to 19 points with nine minutes remaining in the half.
The Wildcats were able to close the gap slightly going into halftime, bringing the score to 41–29 in favor of the Vandals.
The Wildcats played much better in the second half, bringing the score within four with 16 minutes left. However, every time it seemed the Wildcats were going to take the lead, the Vandals kept the game just out of reach.
With seven and a half minutes left in the game, Vartiainen, who struggled with foul trouble this game, hit a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats within two points. He got another opportunity 30 seconds later, but missed.
Following two Idaho free throws, Saine hit a three of his own to bring Weber within one, the closest the game had been since tipoff. However, Idaho guard Kolton Mitchell hit a three right after Saine’s to put the lead back to four points.
Saine got the Wildcats within two again, but after an Idaho score, followed by a Wildcat turnover, the Vandals pulled away, winning the game 75–67.
“We just weren’t ready, and that shouldn’t have happened. It’s unacceptable,” Vartiainen said. “The way we started the second half, it should be the way we start our game.”
Duft said that the team was unrecognizable in the first half and lacked their usual energy. “We learned a valuable lesson tonight, and the margins are small in the conference, and it’s going to be a battle each and every night. You’ve got to be in the battle.”
While there is no such thing as a “good loss”, Duft believes this game is a great learning experience for the team.
“There’s no question about it. I know it’s a good team … We are not good enough to just go through the motions, take some shortcuts here and there, we’re just not.”
The Wildcats now head on road trip to Montana, first to Missoula to take on the defending Big Sky champions, the University of Montana, on Jan. 22, followed by heading to Bozeman to take on Montana State University on Jan. 24.
