Weber State University Athletics
Saturday, January 5
Cedar City, UT
2:00 PM
Weber State University
3-11 (0-4)
79
at
84
Southern Utah
4-9 (1-3)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT 1 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weber State | 12 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 79 |
| Southern Utah | 22 | 12 | 21 | 11 | 18 | 84 |
Photo by: Robert Casey
Wildcats battle but drop a tough one to SUU in OT
1/5/2019 6:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Weber State women's basketball put themselves in a great position to pull out a victory on Saturday afternoon, but fell just short 84-79 to Southern Utah in overtime in Cedar City, Utah.
"Tough loss today for my team," said head coach Velaida Harris. "The ladies battled and had a chance to win in regulation. We ran the right play, but needed to make the correct read. I'm certainly not disappointed in their effort."
WSU was led by Emily Drake who had 21 points. Kayla Watkins and Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman each had 20 points. Watkins also had a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds.
With her 20 points, Welch-Coleman hit the 1,000 point milestone, becoming the 21st player in school history to hit the mark.
"Congrats to the one and only Jaiamoni for joining the 1,000 point club," Harris said. "We are proud of her and I'm glad I could be here with her when she accomplished this feat."
WSU started the game trailing 8-2 after the first three minutes and by the end of the first quarter were down by 10 points.
The Wildcats came into the second quarter guns blazing for an 11-0 run that was sparked by back-to-back WSU layups. Cyliest Smith sunk a three ball to give WSU a 23-22 lead, the first WSU lead of the game.
The remainder of the second quarter was evenly matched with neither team getting a lead larger than three points. Southern Utah managed a 34-32 lead going into halftime.
With just over one minute remaining in the third quarter, the score was all tied up at 50-50. Southern Utah went on a 5-0 run to end the third to take a 55-50 lead over Weber State going into the fourth quarter.
Southern Utah had a seven point lead but Weber State held them to a two minute scoring drought and cut the lead to just two points with 5:49 remaining in regulation. With 1:59 on the clock Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman sunk a pair of a free throws to tie the game up at 66-66.
Neither team was able to score in that final two minutes and the game went into overtime. Southern Utah started overtime with the first bucket and then pushed their lead to nine with just 1:33 on the clock. WSU never gave up but couldn't quite pull out the victory as they fell 84-79 to Southern Utah.
WSU shot 44 percent from the field, 33 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free throw line.
"Look, we have a team of 9-10 eligible players with only three with any significant college basketball experience," Harris said. "My job is to teach, encourage, critique and correct these young women in a way that moves us forward. We lost tonight's game and the three prior by a total of 21 points. We can pinpoint the lapse in each contest where we have faltered and it's about us becoming consistent as individuals and a team. We are making moves in the right direction and progressing, but it hasn't turned into US just yet. We talk a lot about trusting the process and 'doing your job.' We will get there."
The Wildcats now drop to 3-11 overall on the season and 0-4 in Big Sky play. WSU will return home to host Idaho State on Jan. 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.
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"Tough loss today for my team," said head coach Velaida Harris. "The ladies battled and had a chance to win in regulation. We ran the right play, but needed to make the correct read. I'm certainly not disappointed in their effort."
WSU was led by Emily Drake who had 21 points. Kayla Watkins and Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman each had 20 points. Watkins also had a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds.
With her 20 points, Welch-Coleman hit the 1,000 point milestone, becoming the 21st player in school history to hit the mark.
"Congrats to the one and only Jaiamoni for joining the 1,000 point club," Harris said. "We are proud of her and I'm glad I could be here with her when she accomplished this feat."
WSU started the game trailing 8-2 after the first three minutes and by the end of the first quarter were down by 10 points.
The Wildcats came into the second quarter guns blazing for an 11-0 run that was sparked by back-to-back WSU layups. Cyliest Smith sunk a three ball to give WSU a 23-22 lead, the first WSU lead of the game.
The remainder of the second quarter was evenly matched with neither team getting a lead larger than three points. Southern Utah managed a 34-32 lead going into halftime.
With just over one minute remaining in the third quarter, the score was all tied up at 50-50. Southern Utah went on a 5-0 run to end the third to take a 55-50 lead over Weber State going into the fourth quarter.
Southern Utah had a seven point lead but Weber State held them to a two minute scoring drought and cut the lead to just two points with 5:49 remaining in regulation. With 1:59 on the clock Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman sunk a pair of a free throws to tie the game up at 66-66.
Neither team was able to score in that final two minutes and the game went into overtime. Southern Utah started overtime with the first bucket and then pushed their lead to nine with just 1:33 on the clock. WSU never gave up but couldn't quite pull out the victory as they fell 84-79 to Southern Utah.
WSU shot 44 percent from the field, 33 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free throw line.
"Look, we have a team of 9-10 eligible players with only three with any significant college basketball experience," Harris said. "My job is to teach, encourage, critique and correct these young women in a way that moves us forward. We lost tonight's game and the three prior by a total of 21 points. We can pinpoint the lapse in each contest where we have faltered and it's about us becoming consistent as individuals and a team. We are making moves in the right direction and progressing, but it hasn't turned into US just yet. We talk a lot about trusting the process and 'doing your job.' We will get there."
The Wildcats now drop to 3-11 overall on the season and 0-4 in Big Sky play. WSU will return home to host Idaho State on Jan. 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.
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Team Stats
WSU
SUU
FG%
.439
.492
3FG%
.333
.267
FT%
.727
.640
RB
47
29
TO
19
11
STL
6
11
Game Leaders
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
20
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
20
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
4
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
G
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