Weber State University Athletics
Wildcats Begin Second Half of Big Sky Thursday
2/5/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Wildcats begin second half of Big Sky play Thursday
Weber State heads back on the road this week for just one game, as the ?Cats play at Northern Colorado Thursday night. Weber State is 8-12 overall and 2-6 in Big Sky play, following a 64-50 loss at home to Idaho State last Friday night.
Big Sky standings update
Montana is on top of the league with a 7-1 record after the first half of conference play. Idaho State is in second place with a 6-2 record. Northern Colorado, Montana State, and Portland State are all tied for third at 5-3. Northern Arizona is tied with Sacramento State for sixth at 3-5 and Weber State is currently in eighth place with a 2-6 conference record.Tuomi leads Wildcats for 11th time this season
Weber State senior Sara Tuomi led the Wildcats with 24 points in Friday's loss to the Bengals. The senior was 11-25 from the field and also pulled down six rebounds in the game. The 11 field goals and the 25 attempts are both career-highs. Tuomi was also 2-2 from the free throw line and has now made 23 straight free throws. She has scored in double figures in all 20 games this season and the 24 points was just two off her career-high. She also pulled down six rebounds in the game. Tuomi now has 625 career rebounds and needs 15 more to move into the Weber State all-time top ten.
This season Tuomi is fourth in the league in scoring at 16.3 points per game and is sixth in rebounding at 7.7. She is also third in free throw percentage at 88 percent.
?Cats shoot just 3-3 from free throw line
Weber State was 100 percent from the free throw in Friday, but only shot three free throws. The three free throws made is tied for the sixth fewest in a game in Weber State history. The three attempts is the third fewest in school history and is the fewest attempts in a game since 1997.Wildcats still first in defense, last in offense
WSU continues to lead the Big Sky in scoring defense at 62.0 points per game but they also rank last in the conference in scoring offense at 58.2 points a game. This week's opponent Northern Colorado is second in the league in scoring defense. The Wildcats are also last in the conference field goal percentage at 36.4 percent and they rank last in assists, eighth in three-pointers made, and seventh in rebounding and blocks. WSU is third in field goal percentage defense and fourth in free throw percentage.
Still no close games for the ?Cats
The Wildcats have still not played a game decided by seven points or less this season. In fact, WSU has played just five games decided by less than ten points. The Wildcats are the only team in the Big Sky that has not played a game decided by less than seven points. WSU is also 8-0 this season when leading with 5:00 to play in a game and they are 0-12 when trailing with 5:00 remaining.
?Cats begin second half of Big Sky play
Weber State begins the second half of Big Sky Conference action this week when the ?Cats head to Greeley, Colorado to take on Northern Colorado. The game will be played Thursday, February 7 at 7:00 p.m. It will be broadcast live on KWCR 88.1 FM with Eric Knighton calling the action. Audio is also available at weberstatesports.com and the game will be broadcast live at bigskytv.org.
Quoting WSU head coach Carla Taylor
"I was pleased with our effort in Friday's game and I thought we bought into our game plan. We have to work on having a balanced offensive attack and we need morew prodcution in the paint."
About Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado enters Thursday's game with an 11-10 overall and a 5-3 record in Big Sky play. The Bears are currently in a three-way tie for third in the league standings. UNC is coming off a 63-56 win at Northern Arizona last Saturday. In eight conference games the Bears have only played two at home and six on the road. That means they will have six of their last eight at home. UNC is 2-0 at home in league play.
The Bears are second in the Big Sky in scoring defense at 62.4 points per game, just behind Weber State. UNC leads the league in rebounding defense, allowing their opponents to grab just 36.7 rebounds per game. The Bears are also second in the Big Sky in free throw percentage, field goal percentage defense, and three-point field goal defense. They are also second in three-pointers made per game at 7.10, which ranks 16th in the nation. UNC is last in the league in steals and eighth in offensive rebounds and blocks.
The Bears are led by senior Danielle Hagen who is tenth in the league in scoring at 12.7 points per game and ranks second in rebounding at 9.6 per game. Hagen is one of four players on the roster averaging in double figure scoring.
Head coach Jamie White
Northern Colorado is coached by Jamie White who is in her second season with the team after a 5-24 record last season. White, a native of Kanab, Utah, played college basketball at Utah Valley State and Southern Utah. She has been the head coach at Snow College and an assistant at Utah and Wyoming. Weber State head coach Carla Taylor is 3-2 in her career against the Bears.
All-time seriesThe all-time series is tied 6-6 with Northern Colorado. The Bears won earlier this season in Ogden to even the series up. In games played in Greeley, UNC leads 3-2 all-time with the Wildcats winning two of the last three there.
Earlier this season in Ogden
Northern Colorado defeated the Wildcats 70-60 January 5 in the first Big Sky Conference game of the season for Weber State. UNC closed the first half on a 9-0 run and never looked back. Weber State shot just 34 percent from the field, while the Bears shot 41 percent. The Wildcats were led by Ahkiah Hunter, who had 16 points, and Sara Tuomi who posted her first double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jamie Schroeder finished with 28 points for Northern Colorado.
Looking ahead
Thursday's game is the only game of the week for the Wildcats, who return home next week for two games. Weber State will host Eastern Washington on February 14 and Portland State on February 16. The February 16 is part of the WBCA's National Think Pink Week, an initiative to raise breast cancer awareness.
