by Zachary Knecht
Featured Image: Photo by Weber State Athletics
Wow! Those are the only words that come to mind after the Weber State Wildcats marched into Utah State to defeat the Aggies 75-72. The ‘Cats somehow found a way to continue their streak after a halftime deficit to make a statement moving forward.
What the Wildcats were able to do in this game was more than impressive. They matched up on the road against one of the toughest offensive attacks in the nation, and, despite a slow start, seemingly halted Utah State in the second half to climb back and steal this one.
Resilience
It is not easy to trail at half no matter the opponent, but it is especially not when they average over 80 points per game. The resilience this Wildcats roster showed Monday trailing 43-29 at half speaks volumes to the character of their locker room and the coaching staff. It doesn’t take a lot to fall behind to a good team and lose faith, but it takes grit and determination to go back out and do what it takes to win.
Unified Effort
Every player stepped up to make this happen. Five Wildcat players posted double-digit point totals, with star Dillon Jones leading the way with 16. This win is big for Jones as he is one of the leaders on this team, adding nine rebounds and four assists to his stat total. Junior Ballard continued to impress with 14 points from the bench without missing a shot from three or anywhere else from the field. Steven Verplancken Jr. slowed down in this one but still put up ten points, and KJ Cunningham and Dyson Koehler produced 11 and 12 points, respectively.
Weber State limited their turnovers (11) and maximized their rebounds (36) to give themselves more than enough opportunities to score, keeping the ball away from the Aggies as often as possible. They also passed the ball well, coming to 17 assists on the night.
Second-Half Defense
The Wildcat defense found a way to limit Utah State to 29 points in the second half after their 43 in the first. Whatever was said in the locker room at halftime definitely had an effect because Weber State turned this game around on a dime.
Steven Ashworth led the Aggies with 16 points on the night, and four others followed with more than ten points as well. They were limited to 42.0% from the field and 34.8% from three, both falling short of their efficiency on the year. Although they were at the free-throw line 29 times in this game and shot well, it wasn’t enough to fend off the Wildcats. Weber State’s 24-6 run helped propel Weber State to a signature victory.
The Wildcats have turned things around right when they needed to as conference play approaches. They have everything going for them as they prepare for their final game in their road stretch on Thursday against BYU.