Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho State
GAME NOTES: Wildcats Continue Home Stand, Host Bengals
1/30/2023 12:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Saturday, February 4 | 12 PM
Ogden, UT | The Dee Events Center
TV Stream: ESPN+
Live Stats:Â https://bit.ly/401hWxx
Â
• Weber State women's basketball continues its four-game Big Sky Conference home stand with a game against the Idaho State Bengals.
• Weber State finished last season with 11 wins, including a win in the first round of the Big Sky Conference tournament in Boise. The 11 wins were a nine-win increase from the 2020-21 season - the highest increase in the Big Sky Conference.
• With the recent upward trajectory in the program, the Wildcats have high hopes for the '22-'23 season. WSU is eager to prove the doubters wrong after being picked seventh and ninth, respectively, in the Big Sky Conference preseason media and coaches polls.
• The 'Cats are amazingly returning 12 players from last year's team that catapulted the team in the right direction. The only other teams in the nation returning at least 12 other players are Columbia (13), Western Michigan (13), Liberty (12), and Rider (12).
• Among the returning players is 2021-22 all-conference performer Daryn Hickok. "Monka", as her family and teammates call her, averaged 15.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg last season. Her performance in the '21-'22 season earned her a spot on the '22-'23 Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team. Hickok is averaging 17.5 ppg this season to lead Weber State, and currently sits in third on the Big Sky Conference leaderboard.
• Weber State's defense has been stifling this season. The Wildcats are second in the conference in opponent field goal percentage (.381) and third in opponent three point percentage (.304) despite facing some of the best shooting teams in the nation.Â
• With 28 points scored against Tarleton St. and NAU, Hickok has had several of her best offensive games in her storied career this season, falling just shy of tying her career high of 30 points. Her 28 points scored set a new season high. Averaging 17.5 PPG thus far this season, Hickok currently ranks third in scoring in the whole conference. She also ranks fifth in the conference in field goal percentage (.439).
• Jadyn Matthews became the 23rd Wildcat to join the 1,000-Point Club with a basket that she made against Portland State. Matthews currently ranks in the top ten in the Big Sky Conference in points per game (13.5), and rebounds per game (7.9).
• Laura Taylor scored a career-high 18 points in Weber State's game against Providence over Thanksgiving weekend. She also had a career high of four three pointers made in the same game. She led the Wildcats in scoring and shooting against the Friars.
• Aaliyah Ellis, Kaiija Lesane, and Ava Williams set new career highs in last Thursday's game against Idaho. Williams' 14 points are a new personal high for the senior, while Lesane snagged 10 boards to set a new career mark for the guard, and Ellis put up 8 points to set a new personal record for scoring in a game.
• Weber State shot 66.7% (6-9) from outside in its win against Easter Washington on Saturday - the best three point shooting percentage in a game for the Wildcats since 2016.
