Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana
'Cats move to 6-0 in Big Sky with win over Grizzlies
1/15/2012 5:02:00 AM | Men's Basketball
OGDEN, Utah - Weber State ran its winning streak to eight games and took a claim on first place in the Big Sky with an 80-64 victory over Montana Saturday night at the Dee Events Center. With the win the 'Cats improved to 6-0 in Big Sky play.
Montana held a 19-21 lead with 9:51 to play in the first half when the Wildcats went on a 16-4 run over the next four minutes. The 'Cats went on to hold a 49-36 lead at halftime.
Weber State jumped out to a 23 point lead five minutes into the half but Montana kept fighting and went on a 19-4 run over the next seven minutes to cut the lead to eight at 65-57. But from there the Wildcats had a 12-2 run of their own to seal the victory.
Once again Damian Lillard led Weber State with 21 points on 4-15 shooting but he finished 11-12 from the free throw line. Lillard also added five rebounds and four assists and continues to lead the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game. He also passed Willie Sojourner and moved into fourth place on the Weber State career scoring list.
Scott Bamforth continued his strong play, finishing with 15 points, along with three assists and three rebounds. Kyle Tresnak added 12 points and Darin Mahoney had eight points and a season-high nine rebounds.
The 'Cats did have 19 points off the bench, all coming in the first half. Frank "Mook" Otis had seven points in his first action since missing the last nine games with a knee injury. Gelaun Wheelwright also added seven for the 'Cats.
"I thought the difference of the game was our bench and the way they contributed," said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. "Montana played really tough as they always do. We made some defensive stops and fought really hard on the defensive end. I was proud of the way we fought and our mindset."
The Wildcats committed a season-low four turnovers and improved to 8-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points. WSU outrebounded the Grizzlies 34-32 and shot 46 percent from the field. They were also 81 percent from the free throw line.
Montana was led by Will Cherry with 15 points and six rebounds. The Grizzlies drop to 11-6 overall and 4-1 in Big Sky action.
"They hit their shots and we made some fundamental mistakes," Montana head coach Wayne Tinkle said. "We didn't make shot and had a handful of possessions defensively where we were really uncharacteristic and they made us pay."
With their eighth straight victory the Wildcats improve to 14-3 overall. WSU is also 10-0 this season and will be back at the Dee Events Center next Thursday to host Northern Arizona.
