Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Dixie State
Weber State concludes road trip at Dixie State Saturday
11/24/2021 2:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Wildcats are 5-0 on the season. The first meeting ever between the two schools will be Saturday night in St. George. Game will be on ESPN+.
• With a 5-0 record to start the season for the first time in 36 years, the Weber State men's basketball team is back in action Saturday night against Dixie State in St. George. The Wildcats and Trailblazers will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Burns Arena in the first matchup between the two instate schools.
• The game will be televised on ESPN+ with WSU radio coverage on 103.1 FM "The Wave". Live stats will be available at WeberStateSports.com.
• Weber State is 5-0 on the season and off to its best start since the 1985-86 season. The Wildcats opened the year with a home win over Western Colorado, then won a road game at Duquesne, followed by three wins at the Jersey Mike's Classic in St. Petersburg, Florida. Weber State beat UMass, Ball State and Green Bay to secure the tournament title.
• As of Wednesday, Nov. 24, Weber State is one of 42 teams in the nation still undefeated on the season, and one of 22 teams that are undefeated with at least five wins.
• Weber State freshman forward Dillon Jones was named the Tournament MVP of the Jersey Mike's Classic and the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week for his performance. He averaged 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 65.5 percent from the field for the three games at the tournament. He also was 8 of 10 from the free throw line and had six assists and five steals in the three games. He had a double-double in two games. He scored 15 points in the first game of the tournament against UMass. He followed that up with career-highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds in Friday's win over Ball State and followed that with 13 points and 12 rebounds in Sunday's win over Green Bay.
• On the season, Jones is averaging 13.8 points and 11 rebounds per game and shooting 66.7 percent from the field. He leads the Big Sky in rebounding and has four double-doubles on the season, which is tied for the most of any player in the country. He is currently 11th in the nation in rebounding and 25th in the country in field goal percentage.
• Wildcat senior transfer Koby McEwen is leading the Wildcats in scoring through the first five games. McEwen, a transfer from Utah State and Marquette, is third in the Big Sky in scoring at 18.4 points per game. He is also first in the Big Sky in 3-point percentage at 44.1 percent and first in 3-pointers per game at 3.0.
• Another senior transfer, JJ Overton, is second on the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game through the first give games. Overton transferred to Weber State after two seasons at Utah Valley, and ranks ninth in the Big Sky in scoring. He is also currently 10th in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 69.4 percent from the field through the first five games. Overton scored a season-high 21 points on 9 of 11 shooting in the win over UMass on November 18.
• Sophomore Seikou Sisoho Jawara, a preseason Big Sky All-Conference selection, led the Wildcats with a season-high 20 points in Sunday's win over Green Bay. He was 7 of 9 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range. Through five games, Sisoho Jawara is averaging 12.2 points per game and shooting 51 percent from the field. He is also third in the Big Sky in assists at 4.2 per game. He dished out nine assists in the win over UMass.
• As a team, Weber State ranks sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at 53.3 percent. The Wildcats have shot at least 50 percent from the field in three of the five games this season.
• Head coach Randy Rahe made history in Sunday's win over Green Bay, as he won his 300th career game as head coach of the Wildcats. Rahe is in his 16th season at Weber State and is WSU's and the Big Sky Conference's all-time leader in wins and games coached. He has a career record of 300-179 at Weber State and has led the Wildcats to five Big Sky titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He has coached six Big Sky MVP's, including NBA superstar Damian Lillard.
• Weber State was picked to finish second in the Big Sky preseason polls. The Wildcats were 17-6 last season and tied for second in the conference at 12-3. WSU returns four players and 10 starters off last year's team. WSU also welcomes four new players, including three Division I transfers.
• This will be the first regular season meeting between Weber State and Dixie State. The Trailblazers are in their second year of transition to NCAA Division I. The two teams were scheduled to play in the second game last year, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
• Dixie State is 1-4 on the season but have played two nationally ranked opponents. The Trailblazers opened the year with a road game at No. 1 Gonzaga, then beat Southern Utah at home 83-76 on November 12. The lost to Texas State and CSUN at a tournament in California, and are coming off a 98-71 loss at No. 24 USC on Monday night.
• The Trailblazers were 8-13 overall last year and 4-10 in WAC play.
• DSU is coached by Jon Judkins who is in his 17th season as head coach. He enters Saturday's game with a 294-150 record at Dixie State.
• Weber State is ranked 18th in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll.
• The Wildcats have had the same starting lineup in all five games this season.
• After five games away from home, the Wildcats will return to the Dee Events Center next week and will play six of the next seven games at home. The Wildcats will open Big Sky Conference play on Thursday, December 2 against Northern Arizona.
• Weber State currently has a 12-game winning streak at the Dee Events Center, the 13th longest home winning streak in the country.
