by Zachary Knecht
Featured Image: Photo by Weber State Athletics
Montana Weber State Recap
A late charge by the Weber State Wildcats isn’t enough to take down Montana, losing Saturday night 74-69 to the Grizzlies. Though the ‘Cats looked dead in the water in the middle of the second half, a couple of late runs brought this game back in reach, but ultimately they fell just short.
The Wildcats (13-13) continue their back-and-forth streak of wins and losses, holding at third in the Big Sky (8-5); the Grizzlies (14-12) extend their winning streak to five, trailing right behind Weber State in the conference (8-6).
Game Lines
MONT +1.5
Over 129
Team Leaders
For Weber State, Dillon Jones was the man of the hour as he has often been for this team. He led the roster in points, rebounds, and assists with his 21-8-6 stat line. Additionally, he had three steals to cap off his impressive night, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.
The ‘Cats had three other players – Zahir Porter, Steven Verplancken Jr., and Alex Tew – surpass double-digits in points. Porter scored 15, Verplancken Jr. 14, and Tew 11, keeping Weber State in the contest until the end.
Aanen Moody had WSU’s number again with his 23-point, six-rebound performance. With only two players coming off the bench, Montana needed their starting five to come up big, and they did. Brandon Whitney and Dischon Thomas backed the effort from the star guard with their 32 combined points. They shot well, shooting 13 of 18 from the field, including six of seven from deep.
Defensive Mishaps
Whether it was defensive issues or the hot hand of the Grizzlies, Montana took advantage at the Dee Events Center to silence the Wildcats. The Grizzlies don’t have the most impressive offense, ranking eighth in Big Sky play (68.7 PPG), but they played otherworldly on the road behind their top-ranked three-point offense (40%).
The offensive production was too much for Weber State’s third-ranked defense (67.3 PPG), which has struggled to cover the outside, allowing opponents to shoot 37.7% from three.
Solid Effort
It is unfortunate to leave with the loss, but all-in-all, the Wildcats played a solid two halves, and the Grizzlies just played better. Weber State shot 48.3% from the field and 42.1% from three while winning the turnover battle 16 to ten. They even played a clean game, limiting Montana to six free throw attempts. After a loss, there will always be room for improvement, but the ‘Cats can leave the Dee Events Center knowing they played a quality game of basketball, using this momentum in their future endeavors.
What’s to Come
The Wildcats hit the road again, heading to Sacramento State to face the Hornets Thursday night.
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| Weber State Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Dillon Jones, F | 21 | 8 | 6 | 8-15 | 1-5 | 40 |
| Steven Verplancken Jr., G | 14 | 3 | 2 | 6-11 | 2-4 | 37 |
| Alex Tew, C | 11 | 2 | 0 | 5-10 | 0-0 | 21 |
| Dyson Koehler, F | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3-6 | 2-4 | 33 |
| KJ Cunningham, G | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 16 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Zahir Porter, G | 15 | 1 | 1 | 6-11 | 3-5 | 25 |
| Daniel Rouzan, F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Louie Jordan, F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Handje Tamba, C | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 7 |
| Junior Ballard, G | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-4 | 0-1 | 19 |
| Team Total | 69 | 23 | 12 | 28-58 | 8-19 |
| Montana Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Aanen Moody, G | 23 | 6 | 2 | 8-17 | 5-10 | 37 |
| Brandon Whitney, G | 18 | 3 | 2 | 8-10 | 2-2 | 28 |
| Dischon Thomas, F | 14 | 6 | 2 | 5-8 | 4-5 | 27 |
| Lonell Martin Jr., G | 6 | 2 | 4 | 2-7 | 2-6 | 37 |
| Josh Bannan, F | 2 | 11 | 6 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 36 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Josh Vazquez, G | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 20 |
| Laulo Oke, F | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 15 |
| Team Total | 74 | 33 | 18 | 27-52 | 14-25 |