Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
#1 Montana
Wildcats fall to Grizzlies 76-73 in overtime
3/13/2015 5:25:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MISSOULA, Mont. -- Weber State's season ended with a heartbreaking 76-73 overtime loss to top-seeded Montana in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Tournament late Thursday night at Dahlberg Arena.
“I couldn't be more proud of our team tonight,” said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. “They fought so hard all night and left it all on the floor. They've been fighting hard all season and it showed tonight.”
Jeremy Senglin returned to action after missing a month with a broken jaw and had a huge impact on the Wildcats. The sophomore finished with 25 points off the bench for the Wildcats and knocked down four 3-pointers. He also added four assists and was 11-of-13 from the free throw line.
Montana held a 35-27 lead at halftime but the Wildcats fought back and started the second half on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to one. They took their first lead at 51-50 with 7:52 after a Senglin 3-pointer. There were seven ties and 11 lead changes in the final eight minutes.
Senglin's 3-pointer with 31 seconds left gave the 'Cats a two-point lead. After a Montana turnover the 'Cats missed two free throws then Montana was fouled with three seconds left. Jordan Gregory hit two free throws to send the game in overtime.
The Grizzlies never trailed in the extra period and led by four with 1:17 to play. Joel Bolomboy knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the lead to one with under a minute to play. A layup by Montana's Riley Bradshaw gave the Grizzlies a 3-point lead and Senglin's 3-pointer at the buzzer missed the mark.
Bolomboy added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats for his Big Sky-best 13th double-double of the season. He aslo had three blocked shots on the year.
Kyndahl Hill added 12 points and six rebounds for the 'Cats and Chris Golden had nine points.
Montana shot 43 percent from the field, compared to 41 percent for Weber State. The Grizzlies outrebounded the Wildcats 39-32 and the Wildcats committed 13 turnovers with nine in the first half. Montana turned that into 17 points.
The Wildcats had eight blocked shots on the night and knocked down 10 3-pointers.
Weber State ends its season 13-17 overall.
“I want to thank our fans for their support this year,” Rahe added. “The support our fans gave us was tremendous and we have the best fansin the Big Sky. This season did go they way we wanted it to but I'm really excited about what we have in place next year. We will put in the work this offseason and will be more than fine next year. The fans were so supportive of us this season. We have the foundation in place and the future is bright.”
