Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
at Montana State
'Cats hold on for 74-71 road win at Montana State
2/20/2015 4:46:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Four Wildcats scored in double figures as Weber State hung on for a 74-71 road win at Montana State Thursday night in Bozeman.
The victory improved the Wildcats to 11-14 overall and 6-8 in conference play and keeps the 'Cats in eighth place in the league standings with four conference games remaining.
Weber State never trailed in the game but it was a tight battle throughout the game. WSU jumped out to an early 10-point lead with 13:05 to play in the first half, their largest lead of the game. The Wildcats held a 36-32 lead at halftime.
Montana State tied the game early in the second half but Weber State came back to stretch the lead to eight points midway through the second half. The Wildcats led by eight at 70-62 with 2:24 to play when Montana State rattled off a 6-0 run to make it a two-point game with 1:26 to play. The Wildcats were able to knock down four free throws in the final 21 seconds to hang on for the win.
“It was a fun game and our team really fought like crazy,” said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. “They played with a lot of toughness and were able to survive their push at the end. We were able to grind it out and find a way to win. It was a great team win for us.”
The Wildcats shot 52 percent from the field and held MSU to 41 percent shooting. WSU shot 56 percent from the field in the second half. The 'Cats were 8-of-17 from 3-point range and outrebouned the Bobcats 41-26.
Weber State did struggle from the free throw line shooting 14-of-27 for 52 percent shooting. The 'Cats also had 17 turnovers compared to just eight for Montana State.
WSU junior Joel Bolomboy led Weber State with 21 points and 12 rebounds for his Big Sky-best 10th double-double of the season. He had 18 points in the first half and finished the game 8-of-11 from the field and made two 3-pointers. He also added three blocked shots and passed former teammate Kyle Tresnak and moved into second in WSU history in career blocked shots.
WSU freshman Ryan Richardson returned after missing two games with an injury and finished with 17 points and made four 3-pointers. It was the third time this season he has reached double figures in scoring.
Junior Richaud Gittens scored all 12 of his points in the second half on 5-of-8 shooting and senior James Hajek had 11 points and a career-high nine rebounds.
Weber State improved to 4-7 on the road this season.
The Wildcats continue their road trip at Montana Saturday night in Missoula, in the final regular season road game of the year. Montana is second in the league standings at 11-3. Saturday's game will be televised in Utah on KMYU TV.
Weber State will close out the regular season with three straight home games.
