Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
vs. Illinois State
WSU falls to Illinois State at Paradise Jam
11/22/2014 4:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands – Weber State dropped its first game at the US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam late Friday night, falling 73-64 to Illinois State. The Wildcats will now meet LSU Saturday at 3 p.m. MT in the second game of the tournament.
The Wildcats held a 15-13 lead five minutes into the game when Illinois State turned things on and went on a 12-0 run over three and a half minutes to take a 10-point lead. The Redbirds led by 16 at halftime.
They stretched their lead to 17 points at 64-47 with 7:22 left in the half when the Wildcats got things going. The 'Cats went on a 12-0 run over three minutes to cut the ISU lead to five points at 64-59 with 4:10 remaining. But the Redbirds knocked down five free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
“We have to learn to fight harder in the first half,” said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. “We didn't fight hard enough and didn't compete hard enough in the first half. We came back and played tougher in the second half but we have to play that way the entire game. We gave ourselves an opportunity late in the game and we are still a work in progress but we have to play tough the whole game.”
Weber State shot 42 percent from the field but had 18 turnovers in the game. WSU was also outrebounded 34-27 and shot just 3-of-12 from 3-point land. The Wildcats were 25-of-32 from the free throw line.
Junior Joel Bolomboy once again led Weber State, finishing with 20 points to match is career-high. Bolomboy was 3-of-7 from the field and finished 14-of-15 from the free throw line. He also pulled down nine rebounds.
Richaud Gittens added 12 points and Jeremy Senglin had 10 for the Wildcats.
WSU drops to 1-2 on the season and will meet LSU in the second game of the Paradise Jam. LSU fell 70-61 to Old Dominion on Friday. The Tigers from the SEC are 2-1 on the season. WSU will play Monday in the final game of the tournament against either Clemson or Nevada.
