Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana State
'Cats win 7th straight 63-49 over Montana State
1/13/2012 5:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
OGDEN, Utah - Weber State won its seventh straight game with a 63-49 victory over Montana State Thursday night to improve to 5-0 in Big Sky Conference play.
The Wildcats struggled offensively in the game and had their second fewest points of the season and second lowest field goal percentage but were able to pull out the victory.
The teams were tied at 27 at halftime, the first time the 'Cats have been tied at halftime all season. The Wildcats started the second half on a 10-2 run to take an eight point lead four minutes in, but the MSU responded with a 7-0 run of their own to cut the lead to one at 39-38 with 12:00 to play. However the Bobcats would not get any closer the rest of the game. From that point the 'Cats went on a 15-4 run to seal the win.
"It was a much better second half for us," said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. "We didn't start out with the edge or focus we needed. I was really proud of our kids in the second half how they bounced back and got the intensity and attitude we needed."
Weber State finished the night 20-60 from the field for 33 percent, their second lowest of the season. They were also 9-28 from three-point land. Montana State was 20-59 from the field and outrebounded the Wildcats 43-40. WSU committed just six turnovers, tied for a season-low.
Junior Scott Bamforth led the Wildcats with 20 points. He was 7-16 from the field, including 4-11 from three-point land.
Damian Lillard, the nation's leading scorer, finished with 17 points and shot 4-14 from the field. He scored eight of his 17 points during WSU'S 15-4 run in the second half. He was also 7-8 from the foul line. It was just the fourth time this season he has scored less than 20 points in a game but still leads the country in scoring at 25.8 points per game. He also finished with six rebounds and three steals.
Sophomore Byron Fulton posted his first career double-double finishing with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Senior Kyle Bullinger played for the first time since dislocating his right elbow on Dec. 3 and missing the next nine games. He did not score in 10 minutes of action.
The Wildcats improve to 13-3 overall and now 5-0 in Big Sky play with a showdown for first place with Montana set for Saturday. The Grizzlies come into the game 11-5 overall and 4-0 in conference play after a win at Northern Arizona Thursday night. The Wildcats and Grizzlies will play Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.
