by Zachary Knecht
Featured Image: Photo by Weber State Athletics
It was a tightly contested game throughout as the Weber State Wildcats fell short to the BYU Cougars 63-57, where it was all about defense. The ‘Cats were 11.5-point underdogs coming into play, so they certainly exceeded expectations on the road, but their efforts weren’t enough to secure their fourth straight win.
Weber State will need to take the bad with the good to figure out how to get back on track with non-conference play coming to an end.
Lack of Bench Production
Points were tough to come by in this contest, especially on the Wildcat bench. Weber State produced a measly 7 points outside their starting rotation, having players like Junior Ballard struggle to come by a basket. Ballard, a usual reliable scorer, was held without a point, shooting 0-6 from the field and missing his lone free throw.
The Wildcats relied heavily on their starting rotation, leaving three players – Dillon Jones, Steven Verplancken Jr., and KJ Cunningham – on the court for 32+ minutes Thursday night. In the last game of their road stretch, Weber State’s starters put everything on the court before returning home for their week off from playing.
Outrebounded
BYU possesses some of the more impressive rebounding abilities in the nation as they were ranked #18 nationally in rebounding coming into the contest, so it was no surprise to see their dominance continue. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, this was the difference maker in the loss.
The Cougars rebounded the ball 39 times to the 27 of Weber State, including 11 offensive rebounds. In a game like this that came down to two or three possessions, every rebound matters, and BYU was able to give themselves enough chances to pull ahead. Fousseyni Traore and Noah Waterman led the way with eight rebounds each and combined for nearly half (31) of the Cougars’ points.
Fewer Mistakes
Despite the loss, there were positives for the Wildcats to take away, especially their lack of mistakes. While the shooting percentages fell off from where they were on the winning streak, Weber State didn’t make many mistakes handling the ball, keeping their turnovers in the single digits with nine. They won the turnover battle, forcing 15 from their opponent with eight steals to accompany the impressive defensive performance.
Dillon Jones
Jones was the man for the Wildcats in Thursday night’s contest as he has been for much of this season. The star forward showcased 18 points with seven rebounds and two assists, being a major reason the ‘Cats were able to hang around until the very end. He also stayed on the floor more than anyone else in the game for either side as he played for 37 minutes on the night. Though much of the team struggled to produce offensively, Jones continued to impress as one of the leaders on this team. He shot 7-11 from the floor, including 2-4 from three and a perfect 2-2 from the free throw line.
It wasn’t the result they were hoping for, but the Wildcats continue to prove they aren’t the team to roll over in the face of tough competition and adversity. This acquired grit and grind has come at the perfect time with conference play starting next week as they return home to host the Northern Colorado Bears.
The Hive Sports 
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