Weber State University Athletics
Wildcats Host Bobcats Thursday
1/15/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Wildcats return home after first Big Sky victory
Weber State returns home for two games this week at the Dee Events Center, beginning Thursday when they host Montana State. WSU is coming off a 68-49 win at Eastern Washington on Saturday that snapped a five-game losing streak and earned Weber State it's first Big Sky win of the season. The Wildcats are now 7-8 overall and 1-2 in league play. Montana State comes into Thursday's game also with a 7-8 record, plus a 2-1 Big Sky mark.
Big Sky standings update
Portland State beat Weber State on Thursday and followed that up with a 97-57 win over Idaho State on Saturday and the Vikings remained in first place in the Big Sky with a 4-0 record. They are 14-3 overall and have won five straight games. Montana is also undefeated at 3-0 in league play and the Lady Griz have won ten straight games. Idaho State and Montana State are 2-1 in conference action. This week's headline game is Montana traveling to Idaho State on Thursday night.Tonya Schnibbe ties school record in steals
WSU junior Tonya Schnibbe made a little bit of Weber State history in Saturday's win at Eastern Washington. The sophomore from nearby Spokane, Washington posted eight points, six assists, and seven steals in the 68-49 win over the Eagles. The seven steals ties a Weber State school record for most steals in a game. She is the seventh Wildcat to ever post seven steals in a game and the first to so in 18 years. Susan Norton in 1990 was the last Wildcat with seven steals in a game. On the season Schnibbe is averaging six points per game and ranks second in the Big Sky in assists and fourth in steals.
Tuomi scores in double figures again and leads Wildcats
Weber State senior Sara Tuomi led the Wildcats in scoring for the ninth time this season, finishing with 19 points in the win over Eastern Washington. Tuomi has scored in double figures in all 15 games this season and dating back to last season, she has a streak of 18 straight games in double figures. This season the Billings, Montana native ranks third in the Big Sky in scoring at 16.3 points per game and is eighth in rebounding. She is also third in free throw percentage.Caitlin Anderson posts career-highs in victory
WSU red-shirt freshman Caitlin Anderson had a career game in Saturday's win. The Reno, Nevada native posted career-highs with 14 points and seven rebounds, in leading WSU to the win. She also had career-highs in minutes played, steals, blocks, and three-pointers in the game as she was 3-3 from beyond the arc. This season Anderson has appeared in 14 games and is averaging 3.2 points per game and shooting 46 percent from the field.
No close games yet this season
Weber State has yet to play a game this season that has been decided by less than seven points. The closest game was a seven-point 65-58 overtime win at UC Irvine, but WSU has not been in a closer game yet this year. Northern Arizona and Thursday's opponent Montana State are the only other two Big Sky schools that have not played a game decided by less than seven points. MSU has not played in a game decided by less than ten points.
In addition, Weber State is 7-0 this season when leading the game with 5:00 to play and they are 0-8 when trailing with 5:00 to play.
Offense vs. Defense
Weber State improved to 6-2 this season when scoring 60 or more points. Conversely, they are 1-6 when scoring under 60 points. WSU still ranks last in the Big Sky in scoring offense at 57.1 points per game.
The Wildcats are also 0-7 when allowing their opponents to score over 60 points and 7-1 when holding them under 60. The ?Cats rank second in the league in defense at 61.1 per game.
Quoting Weber State head coach Carla Taylor
"We did some good things last week and made some strides. We are playing better and competing harder and we need to continue to do that. We have to have intensity at all times, especially on the defensive end."
Battle of ?Cats Thursday night in Ogden
The Wildcats will host the Bobcats of Montana State Thursday at the Dee Events Center. The game will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on KWCR 88.1 FM with Eric Knighton calling the action. Audio and live stats are available at weberstatesports.com and live video will be o bigskytv.org.
About Montana State
The Bobcats enter this week with a 7-8 overall record and a 2-1 Big Sky Conference record. They are coming off home wins over Sacramento State and Northern Arizona last week. So far this season the Bobcats have been a team of streaks. They started out the year winning their first two games, they then lost their next four, won their next three, lost four in a row again, and then won two last week. MSU is 2-7 on the road this season.
The Bobcats rank fourth in the Big Sky in scoring offense at 69.7 points per game, and they rank sixth in defense at 70 a game. They are third in the league in field goal percentage at 43 percent shooting.
MSU is led by senior Rebecca Mercer who is fourth in the Big Sky in scoring at 16.2 points per game. Hooper, Utah native senior Krislyn Wallace is second at 12.8 points and leads the team in rebounding at 6.6, ninth best in the conference.
Head coach Tricia Binford
The Bobcats are coached by Tricia Binford who is in her third season at Montana State. She has a career record of 22-46 with the Bobcats. Binford has many ties to the Big Sky and the state of Utah. She is a former college star from Boise State and then went on to play six seasons in the WNBA, including two with the Utah Starzz. After her playing career she was an assistant coach for two seasons at Boise State, then two at Utah State, before becoming Montana State's head coach. Binford is 1-3 in her career against Weber State and WSU head coach Carla Taylor is 20-21 against MSU.
All-time seriesWeber State leads the all-time series 31-30 over Montana State. Last March the Bobcats beat the Wildcats in Bozeman, snapping an nine-game losing streak to the Wildcats. Weber State has won 12 of the last 15 games played between the two schools. In games in Ogden, WSU leads 20-10 all-time and the ?Cats have won 13 straight against MSU at the Dee Events Center. The last MSU win in Ogden came in January 1996.
Looking ahead
After Thursday night's game the Wildcats will take on the Montana Lady Griz Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. Next week WSU hits the road again for games at Sacramento State and Northern Arizona.
