Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Eastern Washington
Wildcats host league-leading Eastern Washington Thursday night for White Out
2/22/2023 10:48:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Weber State is 10-5 in Big Sky play with three games remaining. Eastern Washington is 15-0 and has the nation's longest winning streak at 17-straight wins.
• Weber State returns home for the final two home games of the season and the final weekend of Big Sky action beginning Thursday when the Wildcats host league-leading Eastern Washington. The Wildcats and Eagles will tipoff at 7 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with Wildcat radio broadcast on 103.1 FM "The Wave".
• Weber State is 15-13 overall and 10-5 in Big Sky play, currently third in the league standings. The Wildcats are coming off road wins at Sacramento State and Portland State last week. Weber State can still finish anywhere from second to fourth in the league standings.
• Eastern Washington is 21-7 overall and 15-0 in Big Sky play. The Eagles have the nation's longest winning streak at 17 straight wins and will clinch the outright Big Sky title with one more win.
• After another big week with two more double-doubles, Weber State sophomore standout Dillon Jones has been named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. This is the fourth weekly honor for Jones this season and the seventh of his career.
Jones averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game with two double-doubles in leading Weber State to two road wins last week.
He had 13 points with 13 rebounds and three assists, and two steals in Weber State's 52-49 win over Sacramento State on Thursday night. He followed that up with 18 points, with 15 in the second half, with 13 rebounds, four assists and a steal in Saturday's 65-57 win at Portland State.
In the two games, he shot 50 percent from the field.
Jones has 17 double-doubles this season, which is tied for the third-most of any player in the country. He has posted a double-double in 10 of the 15 Big Sky games. He is first in the country in defensive rebounds at 10.2 per game and ranks seventh nationally in overall rebounds at 10.9.
He has led the Wildcats in scoring 16 times this season and has scored in double figures 23 times and has reached 20 or more points seven times. He is eighth in the Big Sky in scoring at 16 points per game and has reached double figures in 13-straight games and 21 of the last 22 games. He leads Weber State in points, rebounds, assists and steals and ranks fourth in the Big Sky in assists at 3.8 per game, is second in steals at 1.6 per game.
Jones is sixth in Weber State history in career rebounds with 778 in 82 career games. He needs just three more to pass Zach Braxton for fifth all-time. He is also fifth all-time in steals.
• With the two road wins last week, Weber State has reached 10 or more Big Sky wins in seven of the last eight years and 15 of the last 17 seasons.
• The Wildcats have clinched a bye into the quarterfinals of the conference championship and can still finish anywhere from second to fourth in the conference standings. Weber State can finish no lower than fourth place. The 'Cats could finish in second place but would need at least two losses from Montana State.
The Big Sky Tournament will be held March 4-8 in Boise, Idaho. The bottom four seeds will play on Saturday with the top two seeds on Sunday. The third through sixth seeds will play Monday evening.
• Eastern Washington is 21-7 overall and 15-0 in Big Sky play, tied for the best start in conference history. The Eagles have won 17-straight games, the longest active winning streak in the country. They are one of two teams in the nation that are undefeated in conference play. The Eagles started the season at 4-7 but have since won 17-straight. Their last loss was on December 13 at Texas Tech.
• Only two teams in Big Sky history have ever finished the regular season with an undefeated conference record, and both belong to Weber State. The Wildcats in 1968-69 with Willie Sojourner and head coach Phil Johnson posted an undefeated conference record of 15-0. The Wildcats in 2002-03 led by Big Sky MVP Jermaine Boyette and coached by Joe Cravens posted a 14-0 conference record. No other team has ever been undefeated in Big Sky play.
• Eastern Washington leads the Big Sky in scoring offense, field goal percentage, field goal defense, 3-pointers per game, rebounding, rebounding margin, and assists. The Eagles are 11th in the nation in field goal percentage.
• Weber State holds a 50-29 all-time series lead over Eastern Washington but the Eagles have won five of the last six meetings, including earlier this season. In games in Ogden, the 'Cats are 31-8 all-time but have lost three of the last four meetings.
• The Eagles beat the Wildcats 75-71 on January 28 in Cheney as EWU improved to 10-0 in Big Sky play. EWU shot 52 percent from the field, compared to 49 percent for Weber State, made 11 3-pointers, and outrebounded the Wildcats 36-22.
• Weber State will host Idaho on Saturday night in the final regular season home game, before closing out the season at Northern Arizona on Monday night, before the conference tournament.
