Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Sacramento State
Wildcats back home to host Sacramento State Thursday
2/15/2022 2:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Wildcats and Hornets Thursday night in Ogden. Weber State has just five games left in the Big Sky regular season.
• Weber State men's basketball returns home for two games this week, trying to snap a three-game losing streak. The week will begin with the Wildcats and the Sacramento State Hornets on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with Tony Parks and former Weber State head coach Joe Cravens on the call. Radio broadcast with Steve Klauke and former WSU standout and Big Sky MVP David Patten will be on 103.1 FM "The Wave". Live stats at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats mobile app.
• The Wildcats are 18-8 overall and 11-4 in Big Sky play. Weber State has lost three straight games, including a 75-67 loss at Eastern Washington on Thursday and an 83-79 loss at Idaho on Saturday. The Wildcats are currently second in the Big Sky standings with five regular season games remaining.
• Sacramento State is 6-15 overall and currently last in the Big Sky at 2-12. The Hornets have lost five straight games coming into Thursday's game.
• Freshman Dillon Jones recorded his 13th double-double of the season on Saturday, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The 13 double-doubles is now tied for the eighth-most of any player in the country this season. Jones has recorded double figures in rebounding in eight-straight games. In Saturday's game he played all 40 minutes and also had three steals.
• On the season, Jones leads the Big Sky and is 10th in the country in rebounding at 10.7 per game. He is scoring 12.6 points per game and shooting 53.7 percent from the field. Jones is also third in the conference in minutes played and fourth in steals.
• Senior transfer Koby McEwen scored 22 points in Saturday's game at Idaho. McEwen continues to lead the Wildcats and ranks third in the Big Sky in scoring at 17.8 points per game. He has scored in double figures in all but one game and has now reached 20 or more 10 times. McEwen is also fourth in the Big Sky in minutes played, sixth in field goal percentage, eighth in free throw percentage and eighth in steals. He also ranks third in the nation in free throws made with 137 and is seventh in the country in free throw attempts with 169.
• Senior Dontay Bassett added 13 points on Saturday and has now scored in double figures in six of the last eight games. He is also shooting 53 percent from the field.
• Weber State has been a team of streaks this season. The Wildcats opened the season with eight straight wins, the second-best start in school history. WSU then lost four straight Division I games. After a January 1 loss, Weber State then won eight straight games again, before the current three-game losing streak.
• The Wildcats had a season-low five turnovers in Saturday's game and forced 18 turnovers by the Vandals. Weber State is now first in the Big Sky and ranks 20th in the country in turnover margin at +3.9.
• In Saturday's game, Idaho shot 58.5 percent from the field, the best shooting percentage against Weber State this season. The Wildcats are 17-0 this season when leading their opponent in field goal percentage but just 1-8 when trailing. WSU is also 11-0 when shooting 50 percent or better and 1-6 when allowing opponents to shoot 50 percent or better.
• Weber State ranks third in the country in free throws made this season with 422, an average of 16.2 per game. The Wildcats are also fifth in the country in free throw attempts with 569, for an average of 21.9 attempts per game.
• Sacramento State has lost five straight games entering Thursday's game. The Hornets are third in the conference in scoring defense, fourth in steals, and fifth in 3-point defense.
• Weber State holds a 45-10 all-time series lead over Sacramento State and the Wildcats have won the last three games, including earlier this season in Sacramento. In games in Ogden, Weber State is 24-2 all-time against the Hornets. The last game in Ogden was on February 6, 2020, when Jerrick Harding set a Dee Events Center record with 44 points and also became the school's all-time leading scorer.
• Weber State beat Sacramento State 79-59 on January 29 at the Nest in Sacramento. The Wildcats shot 58 percent from the field and knocked down 12 3-pointers in the win.
• Senior Michal Kozak has played in 131 career games at Weber State, which tied with Kyle Tresnak for the second-most games ever played. Kozak needs just two more games to pass Jordan Richardson and become WSU's all-time leader in games played. Kozak is also fifth in school history in career blocks with 104 and is 17th in career rebounds with 575.
• Last Saturday's game was the 500th career game for Randy Rahe as head coach at Weber State. He is now 313-187 all-time in his 16 seasons at Weber State. He is also 196-82 in Big Sky games.
• After Thursday, the Wildcats stay home to host Northern Colorado on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. Following that, WSU will have just three games remaining in the regular season. The Big Sky Tournament will be March 9-12 in Boise, Idaho.
