After winning the game against Idaho State University on Jan. 31, the Weber State University men’s basketball team traveled to California’s state capital to take on the California State University, Sacramento Hornets.
The two teams met earlier in the season at the Dee Events Center, where the Wildcats won 95–82 on Jan. 3.
Since that loss, the Hornets went 5–3, going undefeated at home, including defeating both Montana schools. Star player Mikey Williams, who scored 26 points against the Wildcats in their last meeting, has taken up the role of second option under senior guard Prophet Johnson.
The Wildcats were without two of their main contributors, with Jace Whiting out for a few weeks with a foot injury and Trevor Hennig missing his second straight game due to illness.
The game started close with the Wildcats down by one with 8:30 left in the half, but the Hornets went on a 28–8 run to end the half, leading 53–32 at the break. This run included five 3-pointers from four different Hornets players.
The Wildcats began to crawl back, going on a 12–1 run, making 11 straight shots, finishing off with a Viljami Vartiainen 3-pointer to bring the ‘Cats within 11 points of the Hornets.
However, the Hornets found their groove again and kept the game just out of the Wildcats’ reach.
As the final buzzer sounded, Sac State left the gym with a 104–90 win over Weber State.
Despite only scoring two points in the first half, Tijan Saine Jr. finished the night as the Wildcats’ leading scorer with 22 points. Nigel Burris finished with 17 points along with eight rebounds and Malek Gomma had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Vartiainen, who has historically performed well against Sacramento State, with his top four scoring nights of his career being against the Hornets, had a tough night, going 2–8 from the 3-point line and finishing with eight points, his lowest point total since the game against Utah State University on Nov. 11, 2025.
On the Sac State side, Johnson finished with 35 points, which tied his career high. Williams finished with 11 points.
The Wildcats now head back home to play the University of Northern Colorado on Feb. 5, followed by Northern Arizona University on Feb. 7.
