Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
vs. UC Irvine
'Cats rally falls short against Anteaters
11/27/2011 11:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. - The Wildcats staged a ferocious late comeback attempt, came up just a couple of inches short against the Anteaters on Sunday afternoon.
After trailing by as many as 23 points in the opening half, the Weber State University women's basketball team rallied behind a hot shooting second half, closing the deficit to just three points before a potential game-tying 3-pointer by sophomore guard Justine Johnson came up just short with two seconds remaining and UC Irvine escaped Matthew Knight Arena with a 57-54 victory.
Johnson finished with a game-high 14 points, scoring 12 of those in the second half as the Wildcats tried to overcome the deficit.
Junior forward Shawnte Taylor came off the bench to add eight points and eight rebounds, while junior forward Amanda Hughes added eight points and five rebounds.
Weber State trailed 37-18 at halftime, shooting just 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from the field in the first half and converting just 3-of-10 free throws.
The Wildcats still trailed 52-36 with 8:48 remaining, but used an 18-5 surge to get within three with 87 seconds left. Five different players scored for Weber State during the run.
Hughes' tip-in basket with 1:27 left was the final points of the game for either team, as Weber State had two possessions end in turnovers before Johnson's final attempt to force overtime.
Senior guard Caela Mohre was named to the All-Tournament team.
Weber State (0-6) returns to Utah this week and will take a short trip south to face in-state rival Utah on Thursday night at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
