Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Montana State
Wildcats and Bobcats meet Saturday night in Bozeman
1/23/2026 10:31:00 AM | Men's Basketball
• Weber State continues its road swing through the state of Montana with a road game at Montana State on Saturday night.
• The Wildcats and Bobcats will tipoff at 6 p.m. on Saturday night from Worthington Arena in Bozeman. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
The Weber State radio broadcast with Carl Arky will be on 103.1 FM.
Live stats and video links are at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State is 10-10 overall and 4-3 in Big Sky play and coming off an 81-65 loss at Montana on Thursday night. WSU shot 63 percent from the field in the first half but just 23 percent in the second half and was outscored 45-22. Montana shot 62 percent from the field, the best percentage against the Wildcats all season.
Montana State is 12-8 overall and currently second in the Big Sky at 6-1.
• Once again, Tijan Saine Jr. led the Wildcats in scoring as he finished with 15 points in Thursday's game. It was his fifth time leading the Wildcats in scoring in the seven Big Sky games.
On the season, Saine leads the Wildcats in scoring at 14.9 points per game. In Big Sky games, he is averaging 19.7 points per game, fifth best in the Big Sky. Overall he ranks second in the Big Sky in free throw percentage at 86.6 percent. He is 56 of 63 from the line in Big Sky games.
Also on Thursday night, Saine reached a milestone as he surpassed 1,000 career points. He now has 1,010 points in 72 career games. He played two seasons at Western Washington before transferring to Weber State this season.
• Malek Gomma was the only other Wildcat in double figures on Thursday as he finished with 11 points and had four rebounds. Gomma has scored in double figures five times this season and ranks fifth in the Big Sky in rebounding at 7.1 per game.
• Viljami Vartiainen knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers late in the first half and finished with nine points. Vartiainen is second on the Wildcat team in scoring at 12.1 points per game. He ranks second in the Big Sky in 3-pointers per game at 2.9 and has 41 3-pointers in 14 games played. He is also fifth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage at 40.6 percent.
Vartiainen has now played in 80 games in three seasons at Weber State. He has 143 career 3-pointers and needs eight more to move into the WSU all-time top 10.
• Weber State was without senior Jace Whiting who missed Thursday's game with a foot injury and is expected to be out a few weeks. Whiting is third on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game this season.
• Weber State gave up 11 3-pointers to Montana, but on the season still ranks first in the Big Sky and 11th in the nation in 3-point defense at 28.4 percent. WSU is also 23rd nationally in fastbreak points at 16 per game.
• Weber State leads the Big Sky Conference in 3-point defense, rebounding, and steals. The 'Cats are also second in scoring offense and rebounding margin and third in turnover margin.
• This season Weber State is 9-1 when leading its opponent in field goal percentage and 1-9 when trailing. The 'Cats are also 9-4 when leading in 3-point percentage and 1-6 when trailing. WSU is 7-3 when scoring 80 or more points but just 3-7 when scoring less than 80. The Wildcats are 7-3 when holding their opponent under 80 points and 3-7 when the opponent scores 80 or more.
• Montana State enters Saturday's game with a 12-8 overall record and is currently in second place in the Big Sky at 6-1. The Bobcats are coming off a 74-62 win over Idaho State on Thursday night and have won three straight and eight of their last nine games. MSU is the highest ranked Big Sky team in the NCAA Net rankings and the Ken Pomeroy rankings.
• The Bobcats lead the Big Sky in scoring defense, holding opponents to 69.8 points per game. They are also first in turnover margin at +1.4. MSU is second in the league in scoring margin and 3-point field goal percentage at 36.5 percent. Montana State averages 9.9 3-pointers made per game, third best in the Big Sky.
• Montana State was 15-18 overall and finished a tie for fifth in the Big Sky at 9-9. The Bobcats were picked fifth in the coaches poll this season.
The Bobcats are coached by Matt Loghie who is in his third season at MSU. He led the Bobcats to a Big Sky Tournament title in his first season in 2023-24 and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
• This will be the 137th all-time meeting between Weber State and Montana State, two charter members of the Big Sky Conference. The Wildcats hold a 90-46 all-time series lead over Montana State and the 90 wins are the second-most for WSU against any opponent.
MSU has won the last four games played, and eight of the last 10 games against the Wildcats, including a 2-0 sweep last season. WSU hasn't beaten Montana State since December 2023.
In games in Bozeman, the series is tied 32-32 all-time and Montana State has won the last three and four of the last five games played.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who is in his fourth season as head coach and his 20th 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. He has been on the coaching staff for over 600 games at Weber State, more than anyone in WSU's history.
Last summer, NBA superstar and Wildcat legend Damian Lillard was named the General Manager of Weber State Basketball.
In January 2026, assistant coach Jorge Ruiz was named the Assistant General Manager for the Wildcats.
• After Saturday, Weber State will have just one game next week when the 'Cats host Idaho State on Saturday, January 31 at 1 p.m. at the Dee Events Center. That will the start of four games over an eight day stretch.
