Wildcat Suffer First Home Loss Against Pacific

For the first time this season, the Weber Stats Wildcats suffered a loss at the Dee Events Center during their Tuesday evening clash with the Pacific Tigers.

This outing marked their third straight on their home floor where they are now 4-1 and their stretch will continue as they play their next three games in Ogden. While each opponent typically looks different than the other, this will ring even more true from this point on as the battle with Pacific represented their non-conference finale.

Also looking different, or so they hope, will be the Wildcats starting lineup after Daryn Hickok was forced to sit out against Tigers; missing her first game of the season. Without one of their key players, WSU was forced to try and get cozy in an uncomfortable situation. Temporarily, they did just that before the game slipped away in the second half.

Weber State came out the gates ready to play as they jumped out to a 9-4 lead but eventually Pacific was able to weather the storm, causing the teams to engage in a rock fight throughout the remainder of the night. There were times when WSU was able to build a small lead throughout the opening 20 minutes of action but the Tigers would eventually go on a run of their own. WSU led 14-8 at the end of the opening frame and then took a 27-24 lead into the locker room after a half that was stifled by defense.

In the third quarter, the tides began to turn away from the 'Cats as the Tigers not only were able to capture the lead but then played keep away, causing WSU to trail 45-41 heading into the final stanza. Throughout the final 10 minutes, the Wildcats fought hard but Pacific caught fire and eventually was able to grind their lead out to a double-digit advantage which held until the final buzzer; leaving the Wildcats with a 75-62 defeat.

Despite the loss, Emma Torbert had a special night as she poured in 23 points on 9-15 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds and 6 blocks. Jadyn Matthews also had a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 boards. With the absence of Hickok, Kori Pentzer played a heavy dosage of minutes with her only breather coming when head coach Velaida Harris pulled the starters in the final minute of action. Pentzer finished with 12 points in 39 minutes while only picking up three fouls despite her defensive intensity.

Next, the Wildcats will look to bounce back as they play host to Montana State on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 6 P.M. on ESPN+.

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Team Stats

Emma Torbert

Kori Pentzer

Jadyn Matthews

Laura Taylor

Players Mentioned

Daryn Hickok

Jadyn Matthews

Kori Pentzer

Emma Torbert

Players Mentioned

Daryn Hickok

Jadyn Matthews

Kori Pentzer

Emma Torbert

Weber State University Athletics