Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Idaho State
Wildcats continue road trip at Idaho State Saturday
2/2/2023 10:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Weber State begins the second half of Big Sky play Saturday at 6 p.m. in Pocatello.
• Weber State continues its four-game road trip and begins the second round of Big Sky play against longtime rival Idaho State Saturday night. The Wildcats and Bengals will tipoff at 6 p.m. Saturday night at Reed Gym in Pocatello. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with WSU radio coverage with Steve Klauke on 103.1 FM "The Wave".
Live stats at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State is 11-11 overall and 6-3 in Big Sky play, halfway through the 18-game league schedule. The Wildcats won three-straight games, before falling 75-71 at league-leading Eastern Washington last Saturday.
• Idaho State is 8-14 overall and 5-4 in Big Sky play. The Bengals are coming off a 95-91 overtime win at Idaho last Saturday.
• The Bengals beat the Wildcats 67-57 on January 7 at the Dee Events Center. WSU held a 32-25 lead at halftime but was outscored 42-25 in the second half. It's the only game this season WSU has lost after leading at halftime. The Bengals shot 52 percent in the second half and held the Wildcats to just 31 percent. WSU was 3 of 19 from 3-point range.
• Wildcat sophomore forward Dillon Jones leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He is first in the nation in defensive rebounds at 10.1 per game and ranks seventh in the country in overall rebounds at 10.9 per game. Jones has 12 double-doubles this season, currently tied for the sixth most in the nation. He has scored in double figures 17 times this season and ranks seventh in the Big Sky in scoring at 15.5 points per game. He has reached double figures in seven-straight and 15 of the last 16 games.
He also has had 10 or more rebounds in seven of the last nine games and has led the Wildcats in rebounding in 13-straight games and 16 of the last 17 games. He ranks fourth in the Big Sky in assists at 3.9 per game, is third in steals at 1.5 per game, and is third in the league in free throw percentage at 84.4 percent.
Jones ranks ninth in Weber State history in career rebounds with 712 rebounds in 77 career games. He is also currently seventh in career steals with 128.
• Steven Verplancken scored in double figures for the 18th time in 22 games this season, including 12 of the last 13 games as he finished with 16 points in Saturday's game at Eastern Washington.
Verplancken is the only player that has started all 22 games this season and is second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game. He is shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range and lead the Wildcats with 45 3-pointers on the year. He is eighth in the Big Sky in 3-pointers per game at 2.0.
• Saturday's loss 75-71 at Eastern Washington was the first time this season Weber State has reached 70 or more points and lost the game. The Wildcats are now 9-1 when scoring 70 or more points in a game and 2-10 when scoring less than 70. WSU is also 9-1 when leading in field goal percentage and 7-1 when leading in 3-point field goal percentage.
• Weber State is led by new head coach Eric Duft who was named the 10th head coach in Weber State history in May. Duft replaced Randy Rahe who retired after 16 seasons as the head coach as the Big Sky Conference's all-time leader in career wins and led the Wildcats to five Big Sky titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Duft spent all 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Rahe.
• Idaho State leads the Big Sky in 3-point field goal defense, allowing just 30.8 percent. The Bengals are also third in the league in steals and fourth in turnover margin. Ryan Looney is in his fourth season as head coach at ISU.
• Weber State holds an 84-47 all-time lead over Idaho State, both charter members of the Big Sky Conference. Weber State has won seven of the last 11 games, including the loss earlier this season.
In games in Pocatello, the series is tied 30-30 all-time, but Weber State has won four of the last five games played.
• Weber State concludes its four-game road trip Monday night at Northern Colorado in a game will start at 9 p.m. in Greeley and will be televised nationally on ESPNU. After that, WSU will return home to host Montana and Montana State on Feb. 9 and 11.
