Weber State University women’s basketball looked to snap its eight-game skid to open conference play against Idaho State University on Jan. 31.
Coming off a winless home stand where they lost to the University of Montana and Montana State University, the Wildcats had to bounce back with a win over a top-five Bengals team.
The first quarter went much like the season has; Weber struggled to keep pace with their opponent. They faced a 20–8 deficit to end the first period, largely due to their eight turnovers.
The Wildcats cleaned things up in the second quarter. After four quick points, Paris Lauro followed up a Nicole Willardson 3-pointer with two of her own and a fastbreak layup to pull within one point. A Sydney White layup gave Weber a 1-point lead.
The lead was short-lived as Idaho State’s Kacey Spink, Alyse Aby and Maeva Gauffrenet each hit a 3-pointer, with a Weber State Antoniette Emma-Nnopu jumper mixed in.
Idaho State’s 10–2 run to end the half gave them a convincing 34–27 lead entering the locker room.
The Wildcats dug themselves a sizable hole in the third quarter, shooting just 27%, while their foe shot 57%. Emma-Nnopu went 2–2 from the field for five points in the quarter, while the rest of her team went 2–13 for five points.
The Bengals’ 17-point quarter extended their lead to 51–37 with the final 10 minutes looming.
While the Wildcats scored 17 points in the final quarter, their opponent kept pace with 14 points, handing the Wildcats a 65–54 loss.
Weber State held the lead for just 26 seconds. They hit 26% of their 3-pointers, while Idaho State hit 38%. They also struggled on their limited free throws, making 56%.
Emma-Nnopu led her team with 16 points and nine rebounds. Lauro was the only other double-digit scorer with 13 points.
Weber’s loss drops them to 0–9 in conference play, while Idaho State improved to 5–3
The Wildcats have a busy week with three games in six days: California State University, Sacramento at home on Feb. 2, followed by road games against the University of Northern Colorado on Feb. 5 and Northern Arizona University on Feb. 7.
