by Zachary Knecht
Featured Image: Photo by Weber State Athletics
Weber State Portland State Recap
The Weber State Wildcats secured another road victory after they beat the Portland State Vikings 65-57 at the Viking Pavilion. The score looks deceiving, but this game was close until the end.
For the Wildcats (15-13), they finally strung together wins for the first time since January 26. They are now essentially locked in as the third seed in the Big Sky 10-5 unless something unforeseen happens. The Vikings (12-16) remain in the bottom half of the conference after the loss (6-9).
Game Lines
WEB +1.0
Under 145
Team Leaders
Saturday’s contest came down to a shootout between Weber State’s Dillon Jones and Portland State’s Cameron Parker. Jones led the ‘Cats in points with his 23-point, 13-rebound double-double. The star forward shot well, hitting eight for 13 from the field and his lone three-point attempt. Jones stayed on the court for 39 minutes for Weber State, leaving everything out there for his team.
Parker also had himself a night with 25 points. He shot efficiently, shooting eight for 15, and going nine for 11 at the free-throw line. He added two rebounds to his stat line, generating more points than just his own with six assists in the contest.
A Slow Burn
Leads were hard to come by Saturday night. While Weber State eventually ran away with it, they couldn’t create any separation from the Vikings. As late as 1:01 on the clock in the second half, this was still a three-point game, but the ‘Cats did what they do best which is deliver when it matters most.
Weber State came up with rebounds all night, winning the battle 42-28, forcing their will onto the Vikings. Portland State sports one of the top offenses in the conference, but they have had no success against the Wildcats in either contest. Portland State was held to 36.2% from the field and 15.8% from three.
Future Improvements
While winning on the road is the only category Weber State cares to fulfill, there is room for improvement moving forward. The ‘Cats turned the ball over 17 times Saturday and couldn’t find their groove from beyond the arch. They must not have been so inspired by Damian Lillard’s three-point contest victory, only hitting three shots from range all night of their 12 attempts. They are fortunate to leave with the win despite some mishaps, so they need to clean up some mistakes moving forward.
What’s to Come
The Wildcats come home to the Dee Events Center in their final home stand of the season to face the undefeated Eastern Washington Eagles.
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| Weber State Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Dillon Jones, F | 23 | 13 | 4 | 8-13 | 1-1 | 39 |
| Steven Verplancken Jr., G | 10 | 4 | 0 | 4-11 | 0-2 | 37 |
| Alex Tew, C | 9 | 7 | 1 | 4-9 | 0-0 | 26 |
| Dyson Koehler, F | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 32 |
| KJ Cunningham, G | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1-5 | 1-4 | 26 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Zahir Porter, G | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4-9 | 1-2 | 15 |
| Handje Tamba, C | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 12 |
| Junior Ballard, G | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 13 |
| Team Total | 65 | 42 | 10 | 24-53 | 3-12 |
| Portland State Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | MIN |
| Cameron Parker, G | 25 | 2 | 6 | 8-15 | 0-1 | 40 |
| Isaiah Johnson, F | 15 | 6 | 1 | 6-14 | 0-0 | 40 |
| Jacob Eyman, F | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 9 |
| Hunter Woods, G | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1-6 | 0-3 | 32 |
| Jorell Saterfield, G | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1-10 | 0-6 | 34 |
| Bench | ||||||
| Bobby Harvey, G | 9 | 4 | 0 | 3-9 | 3-8 | 22 |
| Kendall Munson, F | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 13 |
| Keshaun Sanders, G | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 10 |
| Team Total | 21-58 | 28 | 9 | 21-58 | 3-19 |