Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
vs. Jacksonville State
Wildcats Hang on for 69-61 Win to Improve to 4-0
11/28/2011 5:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Weber State men's basketball team survived a second half comeback and hung on for a 69-61 victory over Jacksonville State Sunday night in the first round of the Saint Mary's Shamrock Office Solutions Classic in Moraga, California. With the win the Wildcats improved to 4-0 on the season for the first time in 26 years.
The 'Cats never trailed in the game and led by as many as 21 points in the first half. With the score tied at 11-11 the 'Cats went on a 24-3 run over the next 12:00 and eventually led 35-21 at halftime.
But the Gamecocks made a valiant effort for a comeback in the second half. Jacksonville State cut the lead to as little as five points at 58-53 with 2:58 to play. Weber State shot 11-14 free throws over the final 2:58 to seal the win. For the game the 'Cats finished 24-34 from the free throw line.
"In the second half Jacksonville State threw a lot of different defenses at us and did some nice things that threw us out of our rhythm but we stayed aggressive and made the plays we needed to down the stretch," said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. "We attacked the boards really hard and got some important rebounds. Now we're excited to face a very good Saint Mary's team tomorrow night."
The Wildcats outrebounded the Gamecocks 42-30 and have now outrebounded their opponents in all four games this season. WSU shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, but just 30 percent in the second half. The 'Cats finished with 14 turnovers, compared to just nine by the Gamecocks.
Junior guard Damian Lillard led Weber State for the second-straight game, finishing with a game-high 23 points. He also pulled down eight rebounds and shot 7-14 from the field. In the process Lillard passed John Hamilton and moved into WSU's career top ten scoring list.
Lillard was one of four Wildcats in double figures as Scott Bamforth added 12 points. Bamforth was just 1-8 from the field but was 10-11 from the free throw line. Kyle Bullinger had a double-double for the second-straight game, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds, along with a season-high four assists. Sophomore Kyle Tresnak added 10 points for the Wildcats. Byron Fulton had eight points off the bench.
With the win the 'Cats improve to 4-0 for the first time since the 1985-86 season when they started that season 10-0.
The 'Cats will now take on host Saint Mary's Monday night at 8:30 p.m. Mountain time in the championship game. Saint Mary's defeated San Francisco State 86-52 Sunday in the first round of the tournament to improve to 3-1 on the season.
