Big First Half Leads Weber State Wildcats To Win Over Portland State

OGDEN, Utah – The Weber State Wildcats defeated the Portland State Vikings at home, 84-72, behind a dominant first-half performance.

The Wildcats outscored the Vikings by 19 in the first half.

Dillon Jones led all scorers with 20 points. He added 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.

Great! Great! Great!

3⃣straight Wildcat wins! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/zAGjjhNaVa

— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) February 9, 2024

First Half

After a slow start, Weber State took off against Portland State.

After three minutes, the score was 2-0.

Led by Dillon Jones, the Wildcats went on a 23-6 run.

Dyson for 3⃣ and the Wildcats are rolling!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/LuWPvxAUaJ

— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) February 9, 2024

Weber State got whatever it wanted against the Vikings in the first half.

Great passing from the Cats created open threes and easy driving lanes through the defense.

Just after the midpoint of the first half, Weber State went up by 20.

📢 Up by 20! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/jXCFJc2QRV

— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) February 9, 2024

Portland State was able to heat up a bit going into halftime but the deficit was too large.

The Vikings scored eight points through the first 11 minutes. They scored 18 in the final nine minutes of the half.

Weber State led by 19 at the break, 45-26.

What. A. Half!

‘Cats lead by 19 at the break! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/DgLNcEeAsW

— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) February 9, 2024

Second Half

Portland State had a much better second half but it wasn’t enough to come back.

The Vikings slowly chipped away at the Wildcats’ lead.

After five minutes, Weber State led by 15, 51-36.

DJ a 3⃣!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/ERhnlqDU4b

— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) February 9, 2024

Keshaun Saunders went on a mini-scoring run and closed the WSU lead to ten.

With ten minutes left in the game, Weber State still held onto its double-digit advantage, 59-47.

The Vikings were unable to close the lead under ten due to great defense from the Cats.

Blaise to the hoop! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/ppChBKG6BM

— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) February 9, 2024

The final stretch was filled with free throws as both sides opted to foul instead of giving up easy looks.

This worked in PSU’s favor for a while as the Vikes closed the lead to eight with three minutes left.

Weber State held strong and eventually went back up by ten.

💪 @dysoncreed #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/8a1N18y0aJ

— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) February 9, 2024

The Wildcats improved to 14-9 with the 12-point win over Portland State. They also increased their win streak to three.

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Chandler Holt is a co-host for the Jazz Notes podcast and a Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.

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