Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Arizona
Wildcat comeback falls short 61-54 to NAU
2/15/2015 5:13:00 AM | Men's Basketball
OGDEN, Utah -- Weber State's comeback wasn't enough as Northern Arizona handed the Wildcats a 61-54 loss Saturday night at the Dee Events Center.
The Wildcats got off to a slow start as NAU held a 24-15 lead at halftime. Both teams struggled to shooting the ball as both teams shot less than 30 percent from the field in the half.
The Lumberjacks added to their lead early in the second half and led by as many as 14 points with 14:45 to play. That's when the Wildcats started their comeback. With NAU leading by 12 with 10:53 to play, the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to two at 39-37 with 7:12 to play. The Wildcats tied the game four times down the stretch but could never take the lead as NAU answered each time. With the game tied 47-47 with 2:58 to play, NAU went on a 6-0 run and the 'Cats were never closer than four the rest of the way.
“I couldn't be more proud of our team,” said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. “I was really pleased with our effort and how we fought and stayed together. We gave ourselves a chance, we just couldn't get over the hump. Now we have some things to build off and try to continue to get better.”
Weber State finished the night shooting 40 percent from the field and held NAU to 35 percent shooting. The Wildcats shot 52 percent from the field in the second half. WSU was also 24-of-31 from the free throw line but the 'Cats failed to make a 3-pointer, finishing 0-10 from beyond the arc.
Junior Joel Bolomboy had one of the best nights of his career, finishing with a career-high 23 points and grabbing a season-high 17 rebounds. He was 5-of-11 from the field and 13-of-14 from the free throw line and added one block on the night.
Kyndahl Hill had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and added two assists and a block and a steal. James Hajek had 11 points and four rebonds for the Wildcats who were playing without leading scorer Jeremy Senglin who is out four weeks with a broken jaw. Freshman Ryan Richardson also missed the game with an ankle injury.
The loss drops Weber State to 10-14 overall and 5-8 in Big Sky Conference play. The Wildcats have now lost four straight Big Sky Conference games at home. WSU now sits in eighth place in the conference standings with five games remaining. The top eight teams in the league standings will advance to the conference tournament.
Weber State now hits the road for the final time this season playing at Montana State Thursday and at Montana on Saturday.
