by Zachary Knecht
Featured Image: Photo by Weber State Athletics
Sacramento State Weber State Recap
The Weber State Wildcats survive a defensive battle at home, taking down the Sacramento State Hornets 50-48 in a thriller. Not every game is going to be a shootout, so to survive a low-scoring bout like this speaks volumes to the will of this team and its staff.
With the win, the 10-10 ‘Cats are back to .500 for the first time since November 10th, rising to 5-2 in the conference. The Hornets slip to 11-9 and drop to fourth in the Big Sky at 4-3.
Game Odds
The Wildcats were five-point favorites at home but failed the cover the spread. The over/under for the game was 128.5, which the under solidly hit with 98 total game points.
Team Leaders
The man of the hour for the Wildcats was Dillon Jones. The star forward led the team with 18 points, including the game-winning layup with five seconds remaining in regulation. Jones compiled yet another double-double with 14 rebounds in the contest. Dyson Koehler also had a noteworthy performance. The sophomore is a reliable starter on the ‘Cats’ roster but hasn’t had many stellar offensive performances this season. That changed Saturday, posting 12 points when the team needed it most. Whether it’s clutch steals or serendipitous performances, Koehler has been a big part of Weber State’s success this year.
The leader for Sacramento State’s offense was Austin Patterson with 12 points. He was the only Hornet to surpass the ten-point mark and flirted with a double-double with nine rebounds. The rest of the Sacramento State starting roster were held to six points each.
Better Shooting
Statistically, these two teams were pretty much even in the most significant categories. The Hornets won the rebounding battle 41-38, they hit 11 free throws to the 10 of the Wildcats, and the teams turned the ball over an even 12 times each. The difference in the contest was the shooting.
While neither team wowed with their shooting abilities, the ‘Cats were more efficient on the night. The Wildcats shot 32.7% from the field and 33.3% from three; the Hornets shot 29.1% from the field and 19.2% from three. Every shot in this one mattered, and Weber State made the most of their attempts.
What’s to Come
The Wildcats will be back on the road, heading to Idaho to take on the Vandals Thursday night.
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| Weber State Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Dillon Jones, F | 18 | 14 | 2 | 6-13 | 2-2 | 37 |
| Dyson Koehler, F | 12 | 5 | 0 | 4-5 | 2-3 | 27 |
| Steven Verplancken Jr., G | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4-13 | 1-7 | 35 |
| KJ Cunningham, G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1-5 | 1-2 | 31 |
| Alex Tew, C | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0-7 | 0-0 | 23 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Daniel Rouzan, F | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 7 |
| Handje Tamba, C | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 11 |
| Junior Ballard, G | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0-4 | 0-4 | 19 |
| Zahir Porter, G | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 10 |
| Team Total | 50 | 38 | 10 | 17-52 | 6-18 |
| Sacramento State Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Austin Patterson, G | 12 | 9 | 1 | 3-7 | 2-6 | 33 |
| Hunter Marks, F | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 22 |
| Callum McRae, C | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 31 |
| Gianni Hunt, G | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2-5 | 1-4 | 22 |
| Zach Chappell, G | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2-17 | 0-7 | 28 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Quadry Adams, G | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2-7 | 0-2 | 24 |
| Akol Mawein, F | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2-5 | 0-2 | 17 |
| Cameron Wilbon, G | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 20 |
| Kiir Chol Deng, F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 |
| Team Total | 48 | 41 | 8 | 16-55 | 5-26 |