'Cats drop first game at Vegas 4 Tournament

HENDERSON, Nev. - Weber State dropped its first game of three games at the Vegas 4 Tournament Monday night as the Wildcats fell 72-65 to UC Riverside at the Dollar Loan Center.

UC Riverside used two big runs to pull away. The Highlanders had a 14-3 run late in the first half to break the game open and led 50-31 at halftime. UC Riverside shot 63 percent from the field in the first half and made eight 3-pointers.

The Wildcats made a rally in the second half behind a 17-6 run that cut the lead to eight points at 56-48 with 9:43 to play. But the Highlanders responded with a 10-0 run and led by 18 with under six minutes to play. The Wildcats closed the game on an 8-0 run.

UC Riverside shot 49 percent from the field for the game and made 10 3-pointers. The Wildcats shot 45 percent and were 6 of 15 from 3-point range. WSU was 19 of 28 from the free throw line and the Highlanders also outrebounded Weber State 34-29.

"We didn't come ready to play in the first half," said WSU head coach Eric Duft. "Once we got in the game, we played well in the second half, but we still have a long way to go."

Alex Tew led the Wildcats with a career-high 15 points. He was 7 of 8 from the field and had two rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

Zahir Porter added a season-high 11 points, Keith Dinwiddie had nine and KJ Cunningham added seven points.

The Wildcats are right back in action on Tuesday against Abilene Christian on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time. The Wildcats will finish the tournament against Wright State on Wednesday.

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Team Stats

Alex Tew

Zahir Porter

Keith Dinwiddie

KJ Cunningham

Players Mentioned

KJ Cunningham

Zahir Porter

Alex Tew

Weber State University Athletics