Weber State beats UMass for 3-0 start

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - Weber State improved to 3-0 on the season with an 88-73 win over UMass Thursday afternoon in the first game of the Jersey Mike's Classic in St. Petersburg. The Wildcats shot 58 percent from the field and knocked down 11 3-pointers in the win.

How it happened
The Wildcats trailed 32-26 with 4:11 to play in the first half before closing the half on a 10-2 run. Zahir Porter knocked down a 3-pointer at the end of the half to give Weber State a 36-34 lead at the break.

WSU started the second half on a 14-4 run in the first four minutes and led 50-38. The Wildcats led by as many as 18 points late in the second half and UMass was never closer than seven points the rest of the way.

It's the second-straight win against an Atlantic-10 team as the Wildcats also beat Duquesne on Monday in Pittsburgh.

Numbers to know
Weber State shot 59 percent from the field and held the Minutemen to 45 percent shooting. Weber State was 11 of 21 from 3-point range and outrebounded UMass 33-29. The Wildcats also dished out 20 assists and had 11 turnovers.

Individually, senior transfer JJ Overton had a season-high 21 points to lead the Wildcats, who had five players in double figures. Overton was 9 of 11 from the field and made three 3-pointers, along with five rebounds and two assists.

Koby McEwen added 19 points and also made three 3-pointers. He also had a game-high seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

Dillon Jones added 15 points, Zahir Porter had 13 points and six rebounds and Cody Carlson had 11 points.

Seikou Sisoho Jawara had seven points and dished out a career-high nine assists.

The Wildcats also had 42 points in the paint.

It's the first time the Wildcats have started the season 3-0 since 2012.

Coach Randy Rahe
"I thought we played smart and well on both ends of the floor. We guarded really well on defense and offensively, we had really good ball movement. We played great defense and rebounded well and moved the ball well. It's a really good win against a talented team."

Up next
The Wildcats continue the three game tournament at the Jersey Mike's Classic on Friday. WSU will take on Ball State at 3:30 p.m. Mountain time on Friday. The game will also be televised on CBS Sports Network.

Weber State will play Green Bay on Sunday at 10 a.m. Mountain time.

Next Event

Team Stats

JJ Overton

Koby McEwen

Dillon Jones

Zahir Porter

Players Mentioned

Cody Carlson

Dillon Jones

Koby McEwen

JJ Overton

Zahir Porter

Seikou Sisoho Jawara

Players Mentioned

Cody Carlson

Dillon Jones

Koby McEwen

JJ Overton

Zahir Porter

Seikou Sisoho Jawara

Weber State University Athletics