Wildcats beat Vandals 69-68 for first Big Sky win

OGDEN - Playing without two starters, Weber State had four players in double figures as the Wildcats rallied from an early deficit and held on for a 69-68 win over Idaho Monday night at the Dee Events Center.

WSU was without Jerrick Harding (ankle) and Kham Davis (knee) who missed the game with injuries.

It was a very eventful first half as the Wildcats got off to a hot start and jumped out to a 9-0 lead after making their first four attempts.

But then the Wildcats went cold. Weber State went over 11 minutes without scoring as the Vandals went on an 18-0 run and took an 18-9 lead with 7:08 to play in the half.

After regaining the halftime lead, the Wildcats led by as many as 14 points midway through the second half before Idaho rallied back. The Vandals missed two shots in the final seconds and the Wildcats held on for the win.

"I'm so proud of our team for fighting through a lot and finding a way to win," said WSU head coach Randy Rahe. "This was a great win and a total team effort with everyone involved and they did an outstanding job. We got through the rough stretch in the first half and didn't panic and got some confidence going and were able to get a great win."

?? of a great team win! #WeAreWeber #BigSkyMBB #PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/0avWjmotJM
— WeberStateMBB ?? (@WeberStateMBB) December 31, 2019

The Vandals shot 47 percent from the field, compared to 38 percent for the Wildcats and Idaho outrebounded Weber State 44-28. WSU had 17 assists with eight steals and five blocked shots, and the 'Cats scored 20 points off Idaho's 15 turnovers.

Cody John scored all 18 of his points in the second half to lead Weber State in scoring and knocked down four 3-pointers. Tim Fuller added 14 points with four rebounds and three assists. Michal Kozak had his second-straight double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Israel Barnes added 10 points and four assists.

The Wildcats improve to 5-8 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Weber State will begin 2020 with a road game at Northern Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 4. Tipoff is at 4 p.m. in Flagstaff.

Next Event

Team Stats

Cody John

Tim Fuller

Michal Kozak

Israel Barnes

Players Mentioned

Israel Barnes

Kham Davis

Tim Fuller

Jerrick Harding

Cody John

Michal Kozak

Players Mentioned

Israel Barnes

Kham Davis

Tim Fuller

Jerrick Harding

Cody John

Michal Kozak

Weber State University Athletics