Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Portland State
Weber State back home to host Portland State Thursday night
2/6/2024 4:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Wildcats and Vikings will tipoff at 7 p.m. at the Dee Events Center.
• Following two road wins last week, Weber State returns home for a matchup with Portland State Thursday night.
• The Wildcats and Vikings will tipoff at 7 p.m. on Thursday night at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Tony Parks and former Weber State head coach Joe Cravens on the call. Weber State radio coverage will be on 103.1 FM "The Wave" with Steve Klauke and former Weber State standout and Big Sky MVP David Patten calling the action. Live stats available at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• The two teams have identical records at 14-9 overall and 5-5 in Big Sky play. Weber State is coming off two road wins at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado last week. The Vikings had won three-straight games before a 90-77 loss at home to Eastern Washington on Monday night.
Portland State defeated the Wildcats 69-66 in Portland on January 13.
• After leading the Wildcats to two road wins last week, Weber State standout Dillon Jones was named the Big Sky Player of the Week for the sixth time this season and the 14th time in his career. Jones averaged 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in the two wins. He had 26 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in Thursday's 72-70 win at Northern Arizona, then had 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals in Saturday's wins. In the two games, he was 17 of 19 from the free throw line and also shot 44 percent from the field.
• Jones leads the Wildcats in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, and ranks sixth in the nation with 13 double-doubles. He is also third in the nation in defensive rebounds and 21st in the country in overall rebounds. He is second in the Big Sky in scoring, rebounding, and assists. He is 10th in the country and first in the Big Sky in minutes played and is third in the league in steals and field goal percentage, and sixth in field goal percentage. He is one of four players in the nation currently averaging at least 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game. Last week Jones was named one of top finalists for the Julius Erving Award, given to the top small forward in the nation.
• Jones is Weber State's career leader in steals and ranks third in career rebounding. He is also third in assists and fifth in free throws made. He is seventh in scoring and 10th in free throw percentage. He is the only active player in the country and the only player in Big Sky history with at least 1,500 career points, 1,000 rebounds, 350 assists, and 150 steals.
• Senior Steven Verplancken had one of his top games of the season in Saturday's win as he finished with 20 points. He was 8 of 11 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range and also had five rebounds. Verplancken has scored in double figures 15 times this season and it was his second time scoring 20 or more. He is second on the Wildcat team in scoring at 11.9 points per game and is tied for first in the Big Sky in 3-pointers per game at 2.3. He is currently eighth in Weber State history in career 3-point percentage at .407. Verplancken has played in 142 career games, including 56 in two seasons at Weber State.
• WSU's other senior, KJ Cunningham, also had one of his top games of the season as he added 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting with two 3-pointers in Saturday's win. He also pulled down a season-high four rebounds and had a career-high three steals. Cunningham has played in 130 games in his five seasons at Weber State. He needs five more games to become WSU's all-time leader in games played.
• Weber State leads the Big Sky in scoring defense, scoring margin, and turnover margin. They are second in free throw percentage, third in field goal defense and 3-point defense, and fourth in 3-pointers per game and steals.
• Portland State is 14-9 overall and 5-5 in Big Sky play, currently tied with WSU for fifth in the standings. The Vikings had won three-straight games before a 90-77 loss at home to Eastern Washington on Monday. The Vikings lead the Big Sky in blocked shots and are second in field goal defense, rebounding, and turnover margin.
• Portland State beat Weber State 69-66 on January 13 in Portland. The Vikings led by as many as 24 points early in the second half before a big Weber State rally cut the lead to one point in the final minutes before the Vikings pulled out the win.
• Weber State holds a 45-19 all-time lead over Portland State, including PSU's win earlier this season. In games in Ogden, Weber State is 25-4 all-time against the Vikings but the series is 2-2 over the last four games at the Dee Events Center.
• Weber State is right back home Saturday night to host Sacramento State. It will be the annual Mascot Night at the Dee Events Center.
