Weber State University Athletics
'Cats Continue Trip at EWU Saturday
1/11/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
?Cats continue road trip at Eastern Washington
After a 64-49 loss at Portland State Thursday night, the Weber State Wildcats will continue their road trip this Saturday when they take on Eastern Washington. WSU has lost five straight and is 6-8 overall and 0-2 in Big Sky action. The Eagles have lost six straight games and are 3-12 overall and 0-3 in league play as both teams are looking for their first Big Sky victories.
WSU is 0-2 in Big Sky play for first time in eight years
Thursday night WSU fell 64-49 at league-leading Portland State. In the loss the Wildcats shot 28 percent from the field, the fourth time this season they have shot below 30 percent. They were also out rebounded 48-38 and committed 18 turnovers.The loss moved the Wildcats to 0-2 in Big Sky play, the first time they have their first two Big Sky games since 2000. The ?Cats have not started 0-3 in league play since 1997.
Big Sky standings update
Eight of the nine Big Sky teams were in action Thursday night. Portland State maintained the best record in the conference, improving to 3-0 with the win over Weber State. In other games Idaho State improved to 2-0 after a 76-69 win at Eastern Washington and Montana also moved to 2-0 following a 77-55 win over Northern Arizona, the ninth straight win for the Lady Griz. Montana State defeated Sacramento State 86-58 in the other game to move to 1-1.
Saturday's key game will feature Idaho State playing at Portland State. Sacramento State will also visit Montana and Montana State will host Northern Arizona.
Janie Rayback posts a pair of season-highs
WSU junior Janie Rayback led the Wildcats in the loss to the Vikings Thursday. The Afton, Wyoming native posted a pair of season-highs finishing with 13 points and eight rebounds. She was 4-5 from the field and 5-7 from the free throw line in the defeat. It was the first time Rayback had scored in double figures all season. On the year Rayback is averaging 3.4 points and is shooting 44 percent from the field, the third best on the Weber State squad.More shooting woes for the Wildcats
Weber State struggled from the field once again Thursday night, shooting 16-57 for 28 percent shooting. The Wildcats have shot below 30 percent four times this season, including three of the last five games. WSU has also shot below 40 percent in each of the last eight games.
The Wildcats rank last in the Big Sky in field goal percentage at 35.7 percent and have only shot better than 40 percent from the field three times in 14 games this season.
?Cats stay under 50 points once again
Weber State scored just 49 points in the loss Thursday night and the ?Cats have been held under 50 points in four of their last five games and five total times this season and have lost all five games. WSU ranks last in the Big Sky in scoring at 56.3 points per game.
Weber State also dropped to 0-7 when allowing their opponents to score 60 or more points, which has happened in each of the last five games. WSU is 5-2 when scoring 60 or more points in a game but they are 1-6 when scoring less than 60 points
CT's 550th game Saturday
Saturday's game will mark the 550th game for Carla Taylor as head coach of the ?Wildcats. Taylor, in her 20th season with Weber State, has compiled a career record of 276-273 in 20 years. She is 163-125 all-time in Big Sky games and has coached the Wildcats in every Big Sky game since the league began in the 1988-89 season. Taylor has the second most wins of any coach in Big Sky history.
Wildcats continue road trip at Eastern Washington Saturday
The Wildcats will wrap up the two-game road trip this Saturday when they play at Eastern Washington. The game will begin at 3:00 p.m. Mountain time from Reese Court in Cheney, Washington and will be broadcast live on KWCR 88.1 FM with Eric Knighton calling the action. Knighton will call every game for the rest of the season on KWCR. Live video of the game is also available at bigskytv.org.
About Eastern Washington
The Eagles of Eastern Washington also come into Saturday's game on a losing streak and looking for their first Big Sky win of the season. The Eagles are 3-13 overall and 0-3 in Big Sky play following a 76-69 home loss to Idaho State Thursday night. They have lost six straight games overall entering Saturday's game.
The Eagles are averaging 65 points per game this season but are giving up over 73 points a game, the second most in the Big Sky. They are fifth in the league in field goal percentage and third in three-point field goal percentage. However, they rank last in the conference in three-point defense at .346.
This year the Eagles are led by freshman Kyla Evans who is averaging 12.4 points per game. However, Evans has missed the last two games with a foot injury and is questionable for Saturday's game. Junior Katy Baker is next at 11.1 points per game and Sydney Benson is averaging 9.9 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game. She is also fifth in the league in free throw percentage.
Head coach Wendy Schuller
The Eagles are coached by Wendy Schuller who is in her seventh season as head coach at Eastern Washington. She has compiled a record of 83-104 at EWU, including a 3-13 record against Weber State. WSU head coach Carla Taylor is 35-8 in her career against the Eagles.
All-time series
Weber State leads the all-time series 42-19 over Eastern Washington. The Wildcats have won the last three meetings, five of the last six, and 16 of the last 19 games played. Since the Big Sky began in 1989, WSU is 35-8 against EWU. In games played in Cheney the Wildcats lead 14-12 all-time but the Eagles have won two of the last three played at Reese Court.
Looking ahead
After Saturday the Wildcats will return home next week for home games on January 17 against Montana State and January 19 against Montana.
