Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Colorado
'Cats host Bears in another key Big Sky game Saturday
2/18/2022 12:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Weber State and Northern Colorado will tipoff at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Dee Events Center. The Wildcats are 12-4 in the Big Sky, second in the league standings.
• Fresh off a win on Thursday, Weber State hosts another key Big Sky game against Northern Colorado Saturday night. The Wildcats and Bears will tipoff at 6 p.m. Saturday night 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.
• The Wildcats are 19-8 overall and 12-4 in Big Sky play. WSU snapped a three-game losing streak with a 65-50 win over Sacramento State on Thursday night. The Wildcats shot 57 percent from the field and outscored the Hornets 31-15 in the second half. Weber State is currently in second place in the Big Sky, a half game behind Montana State, with four conference games remaining.
• Northern Colorado enters Saturday's game at 14-12 overall and is 9-5 in Big Sky play, currently fourth in the league standings. The Bears beat Southern Utah at home on Monday but lost 61-58 at Idaho State on Thursday night.
• Freshman Dillon Jones recorded his 14th double-double of the season on Saturday, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The 14 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 nine-straight games. He continues to lead the Big Sky and is ninth in the country in rebounding at 10.7 per game. He is also averaging 12.6 points per game and shooting 53.5 percent from the field. Jones is also third in the conference in minutes played and fourth in steals.
• Senior transfer Koby McEwen also had a double-double, the first of his Wildcat career. He finished with 11 points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds in Thursday's win. He is third in the conference in scoring at 17.6 points per game and has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. McEwen is also fourth in the Big Sky in minutes played, seventh in field goal percentage, eighth in steals and 10th in free throw percentage and eighth in steals. He also ranks third in the nation in free throws made with 141 and is eighth in the country in free throw attempts with 173.
• Senior transfer JJ Overton led the Wildcats with 16 points in Thursday's win. Overton was 7 of 9 from the field and also pulled down five rebounds. He is averaging 12.7 points per game and shooting 53 percent from the field. He also ranks fifth in the Big Sky in steals at 1.5 per game.
• Weber State shot 56.8 percent from the field in Thursday's win. The 'Cats are 12-0 this season when shooting 50 percent or better. They are also 18-0 when shooting a higher percentage than their opponents and 1-8 when shooting worse. WSU is second in the Big Sky and 29th in the nation at 47.6 percent from the field.
• The Wildcats are one win away from 20 wins this season, which would be the eighth time in 16 years under Randy Rahe the Weber State has won at least 20 games in a season, and the first since 2017-18.
• Thursday's game was the 132nd career game for Weber State senior Michal Kozak, which is now tied for the most games in school history. He needs one more game to pass Jordan Richardson (2010-14) for the most games played in school history. Kozak is also fifth in school history in career blocks with 104 and is 17th in career rebounds with 575.
• Weber State ranks fourth in the country in free throws made this season with 431, an average of 16.0 per game. The Wildcats are also sixth in the country in free throw attempts with 580, for an average of 21.5 attempts per game.
• Northern Colorado leads the Big Sky in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made per game. Nationally, UNC is eighth n the country in 3-pointers per game at 10.5 and 27th nationally in field goal percentage.
• UNC has the Big Sky's leading scorer in Daylen Kountz who is first in the conference and ninth in the country in scoring at 21.0 points per game. Dru Kuxhausen ranks sixth in the nation in 3-point percentage at 44.3 percent.
• UNC is coached by former Weber State assistant coach Steve Smiley who is in his second season as head coach. Smiley spent the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe at Weber State and was part of the Wildcat team that won the 2016 Big Sky Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
• Weber State holds a 22-9 all-time series lead over Northern Colorado, including a win in Greeley last month. In games in Ogden, Weber State holds a 14-1 all-time series lead.
• Weber State beat Northern Colorado 85-76 on January 27 in Greeley, behind a huge second half rally. The Bears led 43-33 at halftime before Weber State dominated the second half, outscoring UNC 52-33. The Wildcats shot 50 percent from the field and made 11 3-pointers. Dillon Jones had career-highs of 24 points with five 3-pointers, and also pulled down 13 rebounds. All five Wildcat starters scored in double figures.
• After Saturday, the Wildcats will have just three games remaining in the regular season. The Big Sky Tournament will be March 9-12 in Boise, Idaho.
