by Zachary Knecht
Featured Image: Photo by Weber State Athletics
Idaho State Weber State Recap
Ouch. After snagging their first win in conference play, the Weber State Wildcats fall flat at home against the Idaho State Bengals 57-41. The ‘Cats were utterly dominated, starting the second half of the season on the wrong foot.
The Wildcats drop to 5-17 after the loss, firmly remaining last in the Big Sky at 1-9; the Bengals get back in the win column after dropping six straight, 9-12 on the season and 4-6 in the conference.
Team Leaders
There wasn’t much to see for Weber State on either end of the floor. Nothing went their way. Daryn Hickok was the team’s leader in points and rebounds, scoring nine on the day with seven boards, but had a below-average showing. No one on this roster scored double-digit points, no one shot well, and no one rebounded well. It is a shame after grabbing a victory against one of the top conference teams in Eastern Washington.
For the Bengals, Laura Bello took the reigns, scoring 16 points and taking ten rebounds on her way to a double-double. Callie Bourne also flirted with a double-double, falling just short at 12 points and nine rebounds. The Idaho State offense didn’t blow up the world in numbers but did as much as needed in the 16-point victory.
Frustrating Loss
This loss is frustrating for Weber State for many reasons. For one, it seemed like they started to find their identity in their previous win. The roster displayed a solid effort from top to bottom, but that was nowhere to be seen Saturday. They shot poorly – 31% from the field and 18.2% from three – were outrebounded 39-30 and lost the turnover battle 24-18. Granted, the Bengals have the top defense in the Big Sky by a wide margin, but it was a sloppy home effort for the ‘Cats.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much positive to take away from the loss. Everything fell flat. The Weber State defense only allowed 57 points on the day, but the Bengals average a measly 56.6 a game, good for last in the Big Sky, so it isn’t much of an accomplishment.
The ‘Cats need to figure something out. It is dreadful to only muster four points in the opening quarter, and it is a shame to be unable to put up more than 50 points in a contest. This showing was uninspiring, to say the least, and they will need to figure out where everything went wrong.
What’s to Come
The ‘Cats will stay at the Dee Events Center Monday to face the Northern Colorado Bears, coming in with a three-game losing streak.
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| Weber State Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Daryn Hickok, G | 9 | 7 | 1 | 2-8 | 0-1 | 32 |
| Jadyn Matthews, F | 8 | 6 | 1 | 3-8 | 0-2 | 34 |
| Aaliyah Ellis, G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 15 |
| Kaiija Lesane, G | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 21 |
| Ava Williams, G | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1-7 | 0-0 | 21 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Laura Taylor, G | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2-8 | 1-7 | 29 |
| Tamalii Fonoti, C | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 14 |
| Emri Lovell, G | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 5 |
| Amelia Raidaveta, F | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Vicky Parra, F | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 9 |
| Nakilah Johnson, G | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 |
| Charlotte Hegvold, G | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 14 |
| Team Total | 41 | 30 | 9 | 13-42 | 2-11 |
| Idaho State Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Laura Bello, F | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6-15 | 0-0 | 29 |
| Callie Bourne, G | 12 | 9 | 3 | 5-14 | 0-2 | 34 |
| Sophia Covello, G | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 23 |
| Carsyn Boswell, G | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2-8 | 0-4 | 35 |
| Bridee Burks, PG | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 14 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Cam Collman, G | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2-5 | 1-4 | 22 |
| Kacey Spink, G | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 30 |
| Mia Flor, F | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 9 |
| Martyna Kowalska, F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Sydney Bevington, G | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Team Total | 57 | 39 | 11 | 23-58 | 2-13 |