Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
at Montana
'Cats drop second straight; fall 76-74 at Montana
1/27/2013 5:03:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Weber State dropped its second straight game with a 76-74 defeat to defending Big Sky champion Montana Saturday night in Missoula. The loss drops Weber State to 8-2 in Big Sky play and the Grizzlies improve to 10-0 in conference action.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 23-12 lead with 12:26 to play in the first half but then Montana got going and went on a 19-6 run of its own and took the lead at 31-29 with 4:28 remaining. Kyle Tresnak and Davion Berry both picked up two fouls and were on the bench for most of the first half. However, the Wildcats battled back and took a 36-35 lead at halftime.
Weber State shot 59 percent from the field in the second half but it turned out to be not enough. The game was tied 51-51 with 13:17 left when Montana went on a 6-0 run and led 57-51 midway through the second half. They led by five points with 5:00 to play when Frank Otis made a layup and Scott Bamforth hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 66-66 with 3:49 remaining.
But Montana scored the next eight points and held a 74-66 lead with 41 seconds to play. Berry scored a quick four points and then the 'Cats cut the lead to three points with 18 seconds left after a Gelaun Wheelwright layup. Wheelwright missed the free throw, however, and Montana knocked down one free throw to take a 76-72 lead with 14 seconds left. Wheelwright made another layup to cut the lead to two points with three seconds left and then Montana turned the ball over. The 'Cats had a chance but Berry's desperation three-pointer from mid-court was short and Montana pulled out the win.
"We battled and fought like crazy and gave ourselves a chance at the end, but just came up short," said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. "I was proud of our kids for their effort. We came in with a good mindset and attitude. We got off to a good start but then had some foul trouble in the first half that hurt us. We executed well in the second half but had some key turnovers late in the game. It was a very emotional game and both teams fought hard, we just came up a little short."
Weber State outshot the Grizzlies 51 percent to 45 percent but Montana outrebounded the Wildcats 31-25. Montana was 30-33 from the free throw line for the night for 90 percent shooting. WSU was 17-21 from the line for 81 percent. Montana committed 15 turnovers compared to 14 for the Wildcats. Weber State was just 3-14 from three-point range.
Four Weber State players scored in double figures. Otis had a career-high 17 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. He was 8-11 from the field and had two assists and two steals on the night. Berry continued his strong play, also adding 17 points, along with four rebounds and three assists.
Tresnak added 14 points, three rebounds and two blocked shots in just 24 minutes of action. Bamforth also had 14 points and knocked down two three-pointers.
Will Cherry had a terrific night for Montana, finishing with 28 points. He was 6-11 from the field and 15-16 from the free throw line, to go along with six rebounds, four steals and three assists.
The loss was the third straight for Weber State against Montana and the fifth straight defeat to the Grizzlies in Missoula. It was Montana's 21st straight Big Sky win and the Grizzlies now have a two game lead over the Wildcats in the conference standings.
The Wildcats are now 13-5 overall and 8-2 in Big Sky play, halfway through the conference season. They will continue their four-game road trip playing at North Dakota Thursday and Northern Colorado on Saturday.
