Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
*Idaho State
Weber State Rallies Past Idaho State
1/16/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Weber State Rallies Past Idaho State
Jan. 15, 2011
Box Score (HTML) / (PDF) | Post-Game Video Interviews | Season Stats (HTML) / (PDF)
|
OGDEN, Utah -- The Weber State men's basketball team used a 15-0 run midway through the second half to sieze control on Saturday night, rallying for a 71-67 win over Idaho State on "Whiteout Night" at the Dee Events Center. |
give the Bengals (5-12, 1-4 Big Sky) a 31-21 lead, their largest of the night. The Wildcats (9-7, 3-2) responded with a 9-1 streak late in the half, however, and entered the break trailing only 34-30.
After committing eight turnovers and shooting only 31 percent over the first 20 minutes, the Wildcats turned things around in the second half. WSU shot 52 percent and only turned the ball over four times after the break.
With 12:25 to play, Idaho State led by seven at 46-39. Scott Bamforth then hit a three that kicked off the Wildcats' key run. Lindsey Hughey scored on back-to-back layups, and Byron Fulton nailed back-to-back treys to give Weber State a 52-48 lead. Trevor Morris then scored down low and Kyle Bullinger hit from behind the arc to cap the run, giving WSU a nine-point lead at 57-48.
Idaho State made a desperate rally late in the game and cut the lead all the way down to a pair at 69-67 with 27 seconds left, but Hughey broke down the Bengal press and found Fulton behind the defense for a layup to seal the win.
Hughey hit 6 of 12 shots on the night for a game-high 18 points and added four rebounds and five assists. Fulton, making his first career start to fill in for the injured Darin Mahoney, added 16 points and nine rebounds. The freshman forward hit 6 of 9 shots from the field, including 4 of 5 from three-point range, which led a very impressive 13 of 28 (46.8%) night for Weber State from behind the arc.
Bullinger chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 2:58 to play, while Bamforth added nine points and five assists.
Broderick Gilchrest 16 points for Idaho State, while Kenny McGowen scored 14 points and Chase Grabau added 13.
Over 7,000 fans were in attendance at the Dee Events Center, most of whom donned white shirts in support of the whiteout.
"I really want to credit our fans tonight," said Rahe. "It was a great turnout and they did a really nice job of being loud and getting into the game. That gave us a tremendous amount of energy and was a huge boost. I want to thank everyone who came out to support us tonight."
