Weber State Comeback Falls Short At The Buzzer In Portland

OGDEN, Utah – Weber State had a 25-point comeback against Portland State on Saturday night. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they needed a 27-point comeback to knock off the Vikings, falling 69-66 in snowy Portland.

Weber State (11-6, 2-2) was in the Beaver State to face the Portland State Vikings (11-6, 2-2).

Big Wildcat rally but not quite enough.

Portland State wins 69-66 pic.twitter.com/ySRg6X0eJN

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 14, 2024

Dyson Koehler led WSU with 21 points while Dillon Jones added 20 and a team-high seven rebounds. Alex Tew made 5-of-8 shots for 12 points.

Isiah Kirby led four Vikings in double figures with 14 points.

First Half

The Wildcats started lightning-quick, hitting their first six shots to build a 13-8 lead.

Great to have you back Alex! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/wMXYmTjbAb

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 14, 2024

Portland State’s defense then settled in, causing WSU to come back to earth a bit. The Vikings took a lead midway through the half but five-time Big Sky Player of the Week Dillon Jones hit a long jumper to keep his team close.

DJ with the J! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/im523eMDRD

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 14, 2024

The Vikings increased their lead to eight after Weber State missed eight of nine shots.  PSU took advantage with an 11-0 run that gave them a 36-23 lead and forced head coach Eric Duft to call a timeout.

Jones hit a three late in the half that ended a nearly five-minute scoring drought for the Wildcats.

A 17-3 run across the final six minutes of the half allowed Portland State to take a 42-26 halftime lead.

Second Half

The lead expanded to 24 when the Vikings scored the first eight points of the second half before Weber State got going.

JOR3LL forcing ANOTHER, @WeberStateMBB timeout.

2H – 18:09 – Viks 50, Wildcats 26#GoViks | #DefendTheShip | @jorell1300 pic.twitter.com/gkQ4G6RAyr

— Portland State Men’s Basketball (@psuviksMBB) January 14, 2024

WSU cut the deficit to 15 with a 9-0 run but the Vikings answered with a run of their own to bump the lead back over 20.

Midway through the period, back-to-back threes from Jones and Viljami Vartianinen capped a 13-0 Weber State run that cut it to single digits.

V for 3⃣ and it's a 13-0 Wildcat run! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/IUTqpYbYhC

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 14, 2024

Portland State led 63-54 with 6:35 to play.

Jones started to take over down the stretch. The senior guard got to the hoop repeatedly as the Wildcats held out hope of completing a comeback.

Frenzied action on both ends in the final minute allowed Jones to find Alex Tew diving to the rim for an easy dunk. The Vikings coughed up the basketball before crossing half-court, leading to a pair of Dyson Koehler free throws that made it 67-66.

Another Tew dunk cuts it to a 3-point game! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/PJJRS0T5q3

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 14, 2024

After two PSU free throws, the Wildcats had 13.3 on the clock and trailed 69-66.

A frantic possession and the game ended when Jones missed a deep three.

Following Weber State Wildcats With KSL Sports

The Wildcats return home to take on the Eastern Washington Eagles (9-7, 3-0) on Saturday, December 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. (MT).

Find KSL Sports coverage of Weber State University Athletics here.

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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s coverage of the Bees, Big League Utah, and Aggie athletics here.

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