WSU hits the road for two games at Montana

Fresh off a two-game sweep, Weber State hits the road for two games at Big Sky rival Montana this Thursday and Saturday in Missoula. Thursday's game will begin at 5 p.m. at Dahlberg Arena and Saturday's game will start at 2:30 p.m. Both games will be streamed online on Pluto TV 1057 and WatchBigSky.com and will be broadcast on the radio on 103.1 FM "The Wave".

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

Weber State is 11-4 overall and 6-2 in Big Sky play. The Wildcats picked up a two-game home sweep of Montana State last week and have now won four-straight games and eight of their last nine games.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

The Wildcats continue to rank high in the nation in several offensive categories. Weber State is currently second in the country in 3-point field goal percentage at 41 percent. The Wildcats are also seventh in the nation in scoring offense at 84.5 points per game. Weber State has scored at least 80 points in seven of the last eight games.

In addition, WSU is 10th in the country in field goal percentage at 50.3 percent, 13th in scoring margin at +15.3 and 14th in free throw percentage at 78.5 percent. WSU was 28 of 30 from the free throw line in Saturday's win for 92.3 percent, tied for the third best in school history.

SEIKOU SISOHO JAWARA NAMED BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK

After leading Weber State to a pair of home wins, WSU sophomore Seikou Sisoho Jawara has been selected as the Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week. Sisoho Jawara avenged 21 points and shot 72 percent from the field in Weber State's two wins over Montana State.

In the two games he was 13 of 18 from the field, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range. He also was a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line and averaged 3.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.

He scored 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting in Thursday's 96-88 win over the Bobcats and followed that up with a career-high 25 points in Saturday's 82-74 win. In Saturday's game he was 7 of 9 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range, and was 6 of 6 from the free throw line. He also dished out four assists and had three rebounds in the win.

Sisoho Jawara, a native of Mataro, Spain, transferred to Weber State last summer after one season at Loyola Marymount. This season he has started all 15 games for the Wildcats and is third on the team in scoring at 11.7 points per game. He is shooting 50 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3-point range this season.

BACK-TO-BACK CAREER-HIGHS FOR DONTAY BASSETT

Weber State senior Dontay Bassett had career-highs of 17 points in back-to-back games last week against Montana State. In the two games Bassett was 11 of 20 from the field and 9 of 10 from the free throw line and also averaged 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

On the season, the Oakland, California native leads the Big Sky in two categories. He is first in the conference blocks at 1.3 per game and is also first in the league and 14th in the country in free throw percentage at 90 percent. Bassett is 36 of 40 on the line this season. He is averaging 9.8 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.

ISIAH BROWN NAMED TO SENIOR CLASS AWARD LIST

Weber State senior guard Isiah Brown has been selected as a candidate for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award. Brown is one of 30 men's basketball seniors from across the country named to the award list. He is the only player on the list from the Big Sky Conference and from a school in the state of Utah.

The senior CLASS Award is given to student-athletes who excel both on and off the court. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Through 15 games this season, Brown leads Weber State in scoring and ranks fourth in the Big Sky at 17.7 points per game. He has started all 15 games and has scored in double figures in 14 of the first 15 games of the season, and has reached 20 or more points five times. He also currently ranks fourth in the conference in field goal percentage at 47.3 percent and is fifth in assists and fifth in steals. The Seattle, Washington native, transferred to Weber State from Grand Canyon University where he earned a bachelor's degree in arts and digital film with an emphasis in screenwriting. He is pursuing a Master's of English degree at Weber State.

BIG SKY RANKINGS

In addition to several national rankings, Weber State leads the Big Sky in seven different statistical categories and rank in the top three in four others. WSU is first in the league in scoring offense, scoring margin, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, blocks, assists and 3-pointers per game. The 'Cats also rank second in free throw percentage, field goal defense and turnover margin and are third in steals.

Individually, WSU has the top to players in free throw percentage in the conference with Dontay Bassett first and Zahir Porter second at 89.6 percent. Dillon Jones is third in the conference in steals at 1.6 per game.

ABOUT MONTANA

Montana enters this week with an 8-9 overall record and is 4-6 in Big Sky play. The Grizzlies split a road series at Portland State last weekend and had their previous home games against Montana State canceled. Montana has not played at home since January 16.

The Grizzlies lead the Big Sky and are 11th in the nation in free throw percentage at 79.0 percent. Weber State is 14th in the country at 78.5 percent. Montana is also second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 63.6 points per game, and is also second in 3-point defense at 29.4 percent. UM is third in field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense.

Individually, Montana is led by Kyle Owens at 11.6 points per game, with Brandon Whitney right behind at 11.2 and Michael Steadman at 10.4. Cameron Parker is second in the conference in assists at 4.2 per game.

Montana has won the Big Sky title in two of the last three seasons. UM was picked second in the preseason media and coaches polls.

The Grizzlies are coached by Travis DeCuire who is in his seventh season at Montana.

SERIES HISTORY

Thursday will be the 133rd all-time meeting between Weber State and Montana. The Wildcats have played the Grizzlies more than any opponent in their history. The two schools have also met in the Big Sky Tournament in seven of the last 11 years.

Montana holds a 71-61 all-time series lead and the Grizzlies have won six of the last seven games in the series.

In games in Missoula, Montana leads 39-23 all-time and the Griz have won three-straight and 12 of the last 13 games played.

TIP-INS

Thursday's game will be the 100th career collegiate game for Wildcat senior Cody Carlson. The Duluth, Minnesota native played in 84 games at Concordia University - St. Paul before transferring to Weber State last summer. He has started all 15 games for the Wildcats...Senior Michal Kozak continues to climb the WSU career rebounding charts. Kozak now has 523 career rebounds in his 111 career games at Weber State, which ranks as the 26th most in school history.

UP NEXT

After this week, the Wildcats return home for a pair of home games next Thursday and Saturday against Northern Arizona. Following that weekend, WSU has just four more games scheduled, two at Sacramento State and two home to Northern Colorado.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dontay Bassett

Isiah Brown

Cody Carlson

Dillon Jones

Michal Kozak

Zahir Porter

Seikou Sisoho Jawara

Weber State University Athletics