by Zachary Knecht
Featured Image: Photo by Weber State Athletics
Portland State Weber State Recap
The Weber State Wildcats secured their second conference win of the season, fending off the Portland State Vikings 62-55 at home. Barring something crazy, the ‘Cats are set to be the tenth seed in the Big Sky, but anything can happen in the upcoming Basketball Championship Tournament, so it’s never too late to figure things out.
The Wildcats (6-21) get back in the win column Saturday, impacting the seeding in the Big Sky (2-13). The Vikings (12-13) fall at the Dee Events Center and below .500, dropping sixth in the conference (7-8). A Viking win would’ve kept them in contention for the top four seeds, but the loss was detrimental to their seeding.
Team Leaders
Jadyn Matthews took control of the offense Saturday, scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds en route to a double-double in the wake of Daryn Hickok’s absence. She was the field general for Weber State at home, doing whatever she could to bring her team to victory. The star forward played in all 40 minutes, shooting nine of 15 from the field.
Kaiija Lesane grabbed herself ten points on the day, living at the free-throw line for much of this contest. On her eight attempts from the line, she converted six times, creating points for her teammates in other ways with her six assists. Lesane also helped secure boards on both ends of the court, ending the game with six rebounds.
Portland State’s offense struggled to produce but still had a couple of solid performances from Jada Lewis and Alaya Fitzgerald. Lewis led the way with 20 points and four rebounds, and Fitzgerald had 16 while making little difference in rebounding with one.
Back-and-Forth
The contest was as back-and-forth as it gets, with several lead changes in the second half. Neither team created much distance between the other until the ‘Cats pulled away at the end. Laura Taylor played a significant role in the second half, nailing a couple of important three-pointers to keep Weber State afloat before they ran away with it. She shot three of eight from deep, hitting the shots when they mattered most.
The Wildcats also did a great job of containing the Vikings’ leading scorer, Esmerelda Morales. The sophomore guard sent Weber State home packing in their previous duel, but the ‘Cats got the last laugh Saturday – unless they meet in the tournament.
Firing on All Cylinders
Weber State looked like a new team against the Vikings. They shot well from the field (46.7%) and from three (46.2%) while dominating in rebounds, outrebounding Portland State 38-27. They even passed the ball well, which they have struggled to do all season, dishing out 15 assists in the contest. On top of all this, their defense stepped up in the end to secure the victory.
Time will tell if this effort can be repeated in the future, but Weber State needs to sit back, relax, and bask in the glory of its victory.
What’s to Come
The Wildcats travel on their final road trip of the season to play Eastern Washington, the team they got their first conference win against.
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| Weber State Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Jadyn Matthews, F | 21 | 11 | 1 | 9-15 | 0-0 | 40 |
| Kaiija Lesane, G | 10 | 6 | 6 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 28 |
| Laura Taylor, G | 9 | 5 | 2 | 3-8 | 3-8 | 34 |
| Aaliyah Ellis, G | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 25 |
| Vicky Parra, F | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 23 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Charlotte Hegvold, G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 14 |
| Amelia Raidaveta, F | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 6 |
| Nakilah Johnson, G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 12 |
| Emri Lovell, G | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 6 |
| Tamalii Fonoti, C | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 12 |
| Team Total | 62 | 38 | 15 | 21-45 | 6-13 |
| Portland State Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Jada Lewis, G | 20 | 4 | 1 | 8-16 | 4-8 | 34 |
| Alaya Fitzgerald, G | 16 | 1 | 2 | 6-13 | 2-7 | 37 |
| Esmerelda Morales, G | 10 | 1 | 3 | 2-8 | 1-5 | 39 |
| Rhema Ogele, C | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 17 |
| Cinco McCartney, F | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0-5 | 0-3 | 29 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Sofia Llanos, G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 9 |
| Paige Winter-Blanchard, F | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 27 |
| Mia ‘Uhila, G | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 8 |
| Team Total | 55 | 27 | 9 | 19-55 | 8-27 |