Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Long Beach State
Second Half Surge Sends Weber State Past Long Beach State, 72-63, In Ogden
12/11/2008 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
A 20-6 scoring run by Weber State in the first eight minutes of the second half was all the Wildcats needed to defeat Long Beach State 72-63 Thursday night inside the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. The win avenged a 73-69 OT loss to the 49ers on November 25 in Long Beach.
Both teams were frozen in time to begin the game. Neither team scored until Long Beach forward T.J. Robinson hit a bucket at the 17:25 mark. That led to an early eight point lead (16-8) with 12:48 remaining in the half.
Three-pointers by Nick Hansen and Damian Lillard ignited a 10-2 scoring run, capped by a Daviin Davis lay up at 7:52 which tied the game. The 49ers forged two brief four-point leads, but a three-pointer by WSU's Kyle Bullinger with 27 seconds left, tied the game at 27-27 going into the half time break.
The Wildcats were up 34-31 with 16:55 left in the second half, but quickly made it a nine-point lead (40-31) on back to back three-pointers by Bullinger and Hansen.
Following two successful free throws by Stephan Gilling which brought the 49ers back to within seven at 40-33, Hansen and Damian Lillard made unanswered three-pointers to go up 46-33.
The rest of the night, Long Beach tried to play catch up but were repeatedly rebuffed by the Wildcat's offense. WSU hit 54 percent from the field in the second half and were 11-12 (.917) from the line. Most of those were by Daviin Davis who scored just two first half points but came out and scored 12 in the second half including 9-10 from the line.
Long Beach State battled back to within five (68-63) on a lay up by Donovan Morris with 43 seconds left, but Davis made four straight free throws in a nine second stretch to seal the deal.
The Wildcats did a good job of containing Morris, who came into the game averaging 20 points per game. He did not score in the first half, but canned 14 second half points. T.J. Robinson led the 49ers with 18. Long Beach State falls to 4-4 for the season.
Weber State, for the first time this season, placed five players in double figure scoring led by 15 a piece from guards Kellen McCoy and Damian Lillard. For Lillard, it was a season and career scoring high. Daviin Davis came off the bench for 14, Nick Hansen had 12 and Kyle Bullinger added 10 points and a game high eight rebounds.
The Wildcats are now 3-4 overall but don't get much time to enjoy the victory. WSU plays at Southern Utah University this coming Saturday, December 13 in a 7:35 p.m. (MST) tip off in Cedar City, Utah. WSU's next home game is next Wednesday, December 17 in a first-ever appearance in the Dee Events Center by UC Santa Barbara of the Big West Conference. Tip off vs. the Gauchos is set for 7:05 p.m. (MST).
