Weber State University Athletics
Thursday, February 1
Flagstaff, AZ
6:00 p.m.
Weber State University
at
Northern Arizona
Wildcats hit the road at NAU Thursday
1/30/2024 3:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Weber State and Northern Arizona will tipoff Thursday at 6 p.m. in Flagstaff.
• Weber State will reach the halfway point of the Big Sky regular season as the Wildcats return to the road to take on Northern Arizona Thursday night.
• The Wildcats and Lumberjacks will tipoff at 6 p.m. Thursday night at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Weber State radio coverage will be on 103.1 FM "The Wave" with Steve Klauke calling the action. Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State is 12-9 overall and 3-5 in Big Sky play. The Wildcats are coming off a 74-64 loss at home Saturday night to Idaho State and WSU has lost five of its last six games.
• Northern Arizona is 10-11 overall and 3-4 in conference play. The Lumberjacks are 5-0 at home this season.
• The Wildcats are 9-1 this season and 25-2 in the two seasons under coach Eric Duft when leading in field goal percentage, but are just 3-8 this season and 5-22 under Duft when trailing in field goal percentage. WSU is also 1-6 when allowing opponents to shoot 50 percent or better and has allowed its opponent to shoot 50 percent or better in three of the last four games, including Saturday's loss to Idaho State.
This season Weber State is also 9-2 when leading at halftime and 1-7 when trailing. The 'Cats are also 11-1 when scoring 70 or more points and 1-8 when scoring less than 70. WSU is 9-3 when holding opponents under 70 points and 3-6 when allowing opponents to reach 70 or more points.
• Weber State junior standout Dillon Jones had his 13th double-double of the season and the 51st of his career in Saturday's game against Idaho State as he finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, along with five assists and four steals. Jones leads the Wildcats in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, and ranks fourth in the nation with 13 double-doubles. He is also third in the nation in defensive rebounds and 20th in the country in overall rebounds.
• Jones leads the Big Sky and is ninth in the nation in minutes per game. He ranks second in the conference in scoring, rebounding, and assists. He is also third in steals and free throw percentage and sixth in field goal percentage.
• He is WSU's career leader in steals and Saturday moved into third in career assists. He is also third in school history and fifth in Big Sky history in career rebounds and is sixth in WSU history in free throws made and ninth in scoring. Jones is the only player in Big Sky history with at least 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists, and 150 steals in a career.
• Junior Dyson Koehler scored in double figures for the eighth time in the last 10 games as he finished with 14 points and had six rebounds in Saturday's game. Koehler is third on the Wildcat team in scoring at 11 points per game and is averaging 13.5 points per game in Big Sky games. He is shooting 50 percent from the field in conference fames and has 15 3-pointers.
• Weber State ranks 23rd in the country in fouls per game, 28th in turnovers per game, 30th in free throw percentage, and 33rd in scoring defense.
• WSU leads the Big Sky in scoring defense, scoring margin, and turnover margin. They are second in free throw percentage, and rank fourth in scoring offense, field goal defense, 3-point percentage, and 3-pointers per game.
• Weber State has all five starters returning from last year and the Wildcats were picked first in the Big Sky Conference preseason media and coaches polls. WSU had two players named to the Big Sky preseason all-conference team in Jones and Verplancken.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who returns for his second season as head coach and his 18th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. Weber State finished 18-15 overall last season and was third in the Big Sky at 12-6.
• Weber State has one of the most international rosters in the country as the Wildcats have eight players that come from outside of the United States, representing six different countries. Two players are from England (Louie Jordan, Alex Tew), and two from Serbia in cousins Marko and Nemanja Sarenac. WSU also has players from Switzerland (Arnaud Revaz), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Handje Tamba), Finland (Viljami Vartiainen), and the Dominican Republic (Steven Verplancken).
• Northern Arizona is 10-11 overall and 3-4 in Big Sky play heading into Thursday's game. The Lumberjacks started out conference play 0-3 but then won three-straight games with wins over Portland State, Sacramento State, and at Idaho. NAU is coming off an 85-70 loss at league-leading Eastern Washington on Saturday.
• The Lumberjacks are undefeated at home this season, boasting a perfect 5-0 home record. They are one of nine teams in the country that has played five or few home games this season and is the only one that is undefeated at 5-0.
• NAU is second in the Big Sky in 3-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 32.6 percent from 3-point range, which is just behind Weber State as the best in the conference. The Lumberjacks are also fifth in the league in blocks and assists. NAU was 12-23 overall last season and finished ninth in the Big Sky at 5-13. However, the Lumberjacks won three games at the Big Sky Tournament, including an upset of No. 1 seed Eastern Washington, before falling in the championship game to Montana State. The Lumberjacks were picked eighth in this season's preseason polls.
• This will be the 118th all-time meeting between the two schools with Weber State holding an 88-29 series lead. The 88 wins is the second-most against any opponent in Weber State's history.
The Wildcats have won seven-straight games against NAU and have also won 14 of the last 15 and 27 of the last 30 against the Lumberjacks, dating back to 2009. The Wildcats swept the series last year, including an overtime win in Flagstaff the final regular season game of the year, NAU's last home loss.
Overall in games in Flagstaff, Weber State is 34-20 all-time and has won 12 of the last 13 games.
• After Thursday, WSU will open the second half of Big Sky play with a road game at Northern Colorado on Saturday at 6 p.m. The 'Cats will be back home to host Portland State and Sacramento State next week.
• The Wildcats and Lumberjacks will tipoff at 6 p.m. Thursday night at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Weber State radio coverage will be on 103.1 FM "The Wave" with Steve Klauke calling the action. Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State is 12-9 overall and 3-5 in Big Sky play. The Wildcats are coming off a 74-64 loss at home Saturday night to Idaho State and WSU has lost five of its last six games.
• Northern Arizona is 10-11 overall and 3-4 in conference play. The Lumberjacks are 5-0 at home this season.
• The Wildcats are 9-1 this season and 25-2 in the two seasons under coach Eric Duft when leading in field goal percentage, but are just 3-8 this season and 5-22 under Duft when trailing in field goal percentage. WSU is also 1-6 when allowing opponents to shoot 50 percent or better and has allowed its opponent to shoot 50 percent or better in three of the last four games, including Saturday's loss to Idaho State.
This season Weber State is also 9-2 when leading at halftime and 1-7 when trailing. The 'Cats are also 11-1 when scoring 70 or more points and 1-8 when scoring less than 70. WSU is 9-3 when holding opponents under 70 points and 3-6 when allowing opponents to reach 70 or more points.
• Weber State junior standout Dillon Jones had his 13th double-double of the season and the 51st of his career in Saturday's game against Idaho State as he finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, along with five assists and four steals. Jones leads the Wildcats in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, and ranks fourth in the nation with 13 double-doubles. He is also third in the nation in defensive rebounds and 20th in the country in overall rebounds.
• Jones leads the Big Sky and is ninth in the nation in minutes per game. He ranks second in the conference in scoring, rebounding, and assists. He is also third in steals and free throw percentage and sixth in field goal percentage.
• He is WSU's career leader in steals and Saturday moved into third in career assists. He is also third in school history and fifth in Big Sky history in career rebounds and is sixth in WSU history in free throws made and ninth in scoring. Jones is the only player in Big Sky history with at least 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists, and 150 steals in a career.
• Junior Dyson Koehler scored in double figures for the eighth time in the last 10 games as he finished with 14 points and had six rebounds in Saturday's game. Koehler is third on the Wildcat team in scoring at 11 points per game and is averaging 13.5 points per game in Big Sky games. He is shooting 50 percent from the field in conference fames and has 15 3-pointers.
• Weber State ranks 23rd in the country in fouls per game, 28th in turnovers per game, 30th in free throw percentage, and 33rd in scoring defense.
• WSU leads the Big Sky in scoring defense, scoring margin, and turnover margin. They are second in free throw percentage, and rank fourth in scoring offense, field goal defense, 3-point percentage, and 3-pointers per game.
• Weber State has all five starters returning from last year and the Wildcats were picked first in the Big Sky Conference preseason media and coaches polls. WSU had two players named to the Big Sky preseason all-conference team in Jones and Verplancken.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who returns for his second season as head coach and his 18th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. Weber State finished 18-15 overall last season and was third in the Big Sky at 12-6.
• Weber State has one of the most international rosters in the country as the Wildcats have eight players that come from outside of the United States, representing six different countries. Two players are from England (Louie Jordan, Alex Tew), and two from Serbia in cousins Marko and Nemanja Sarenac. WSU also has players from Switzerland (Arnaud Revaz), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Handje Tamba), Finland (Viljami Vartiainen), and the Dominican Republic (Steven Verplancken).
• Northern Arizona is 10-11 overall and 3-4 in Big Sky play heading into Thursday's game. The Lumberjacks started out conference play 0-3 but then won three-straight games with wins over Portland State, Sacramento State, and at Idaho. NAU is coming off an 85-70 loss at league-leading Eastern Washington on Saturday.
• The Lumberjacks are undefeated at home this season, boasting a perfect 5-0 home record. They are one of nine teams in the country that has played five or few home games this season and is the only one that is undefeated at 5-0.
• NAU is second in the Big Sky in 3-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 32.6 percent from 3-point range, which is just behind Weber State as the best in the conference. The Lumberjacks are also fifth in the league in blocks and assists. NAU was 12-23 overall last season and finished ninth in the Big Sky at 5-13. However, the Lumberjacks won three games at the Big Sky Tournament, including an upset of No. 1 seed Eastern Washington, before falling in the championship game to Montana State. The Lumberjacks were picked eighth in this season's preseason polls.
• This will be the 118th all-time meeting between the two schools with Weber State holding an 88-29 series lead. The 88 wins is the second-most against any opponent in Weber State's history.
The Wildcats have won seven-straight games against NAU and have also won 14 of the last 15 and 27 of the last 30 against the Lumberjacks, dating back to 2009. The Wildcats swept the series last year, including an overtime win in Flagstaff the final regular season game of the year, NAU's last home loss.
Overall in games in Flagstaff, Weber State is 34-20 all-time and has won 12 of the last 13 games.
• After Thursday, WSU will open the second half of Big Sky play with a road game at Northern Colorado on Saturday at 6 p.m. The 'Cats will be back home to host Portland State and Sacramento State next week.
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