The Weber State University men’s basketball team traveled to the Palouse region to take on the University of Idaho and then Eastern Washington University after splitting their home series against the University of Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona University.
Weber vs. Idaho
The Wildcats first travelled to Moscow, Idaho, to face the Idaho Vandals, who beat the Wildcats 75–67 on Jan. 17.
Unlike the majority of Weber’s games this season, the Wildcats got out to a fast start, leading 44–21 at halftime.
In the second half, the Wildcats continued to dominate, leading 56–31 with 15:48 left in the game after a Viljami Vartiainen 3-pointer.
However, the Vandals then went on a 20–4 run over the next four minutes, bringing them within 9 points of the Wildcats at 60–51 with 11:24 left in the game.
This didn’t faze the Wildcats, as after the timeout, Weber State point guard Tijan Saine Jr. hit a 3-pointer of his own to start an 18–7 run, bringing the score to 78–58 with 4:27 remaining.
The Vandals then came within 8 points with 37 seconds remaining, but it wasn’t enough, as the Wildcats came out on top 83–72.
Saine ended with 29 points on the night, which was his season-high in scoring, followed by Vartiainen with 13 points.
“We talked all day about how we got to get off to a fast start,” Head Coach Eric Duft said. “I thought our guys did a nice job of playing with some composure. We made just enough baskets, got enough stops. We weren’t quite as good defensively, but overall, we had a team effort.”
Weber vs. Eastern Washington
Following their win over the Vandals, the Wildcats traveled 76 miles northwest to Cheney, Washington, to take on the Eastern Washington Eagles.
The teams last played on Jan. 15, where the Wildcats got a 91–80 win over an Eagles team that did not look too promising. However, after starting conference play 3–6, the Eagles got hot and won three straight to move to 0.500 in conference play.
After a strong start against the Vandals, the Wildcats were on the other end of a dominant first half, as the Eagles led 51–24 at halftime.
In previous games this season, the Wildcats have made second-half comebacks to turn the scoreboards in their favor. However, the Eagles remained hot for the rest of the game, winning 84–66.
The 18-point loss against the Eagles was the Wildcats’ worst loss this season since their 23-point loss against St. Thomas University on Dec. 7.
Saine finished the game with 20 points, his seventh straight game with at least 20 points, and his ninth in the past 10 games.
The Wildcats are third in the Big Sky Conference with four games remaining, a half game ahead of the University of Northern Colorado and two games behind the University of Montana and Montana State University.
The Wildcats will return home to face the two Montana schools, first the Montana State Bobcats on Feb. 19, followed by the Montana Grizzlies on Feb. 21 for senior night.
After those two games, the Wildcats will travel to Pocatello to take on the Idaho State University Bengals on Feb. 28, followed by the Portland State University Vikings on March 2 for the final regular-season game of the year.
