Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho State
Wildcats open Big Sky play with win over Bengals
12/30/2011 5:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball
OGDEN, Utah - Weber State opened Big Sky Conference play with a 78-64 win over Idaho State Thursday night at the Dee Events Center, giving the 'Cats their 900th win as a Division I school.
Idaho State jumped out to a 12-11 lead eight minutes into the game but the Wildcats responded with a 26-11 run to end the first half and take a 14-point lead to the break. Both teams totaled 41 points in the second half but the Bengals never got closer than 13 points.
Weber State shot 52 percent from the field and held ISU to 38 percent shooting. The Wildcats also outrebounded the Bengals 31-28 and shot 91 percent (21-23) from the free throw line. The 'Cats did finish with 14 turnovers, their most turnovers in the last eight games, with 10 turnovers coming in the second half.
"I give a lot of credit to Idaho State and they fought really hard," said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. "We were really inconsistent and didn't have a great mindset tonight. We had some good moments but we were too sporadic and didn't play a full 40 minutes. We have to play tougher, especially in conference games."
Junior Damian Lillard led the Wildcats in scoring for the
10th time this season, finishing with 26 points on 8-13
shooting. It was the ninth time this
season he has scored 20 or more points and he continues to lead the nation in
scoring at 25.4 points per game. Lillard
was also a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line and finished with three assists
and two steals. Along the way Lillard passed Al Hamilton and moved into sixth on the WSU career scoring list.
Scott Bamforth added 21 points on 6-12 shooting and tied his career-high with six rebounds. Byron Fulton added a season-high 15 points on 5-6 shooting off the bench.
Weber State improves to 9-3 overall and 1-0 in Big Sky action and improved to 7-0 at home this season. Idaho State drops to 2-10 overall and 0-1 in league play.
The Wildcats will close out 2011 Saturday when they host Sacramento State beginning at 2:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.
