Dillon Jones Wills Weber State To Overtime Win Over Northern Colorado
Feb 29, 2024, 9:18 PM | Updated: Mar 1, 2024, 2:10 pm
OGDEN, Utah – The Weber State Wildcats pulled out a nail-biting overtime win over the Northern Colorado Bears thanks to a dominant performance from Dillon Jones.
Jones finished with 30 points, 23 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals. That monster stat line came on a night when he struggled to shoot the ball. Jones made just one of his nine attempts from downtown.
Weber State will play its last home game of the regular season against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks on Saturday, March 2.
WHAT! A! WIN! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/4et7ZLklZj
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) March 1, 2024
First Half
The Wildcats got off to a slow start against the Bears in Dee Events Center.
Luckily for Weber State, they only trailed by four after making just one field goal in the first four minutes of the game.
Dillon Jones was the hero early on for WSU. He scored 7 of the team’s first 15 points as the Wildcats stormed back to take a 15-10 lead.
DJ from 3⃣!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/LNbZqFlGwE
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) March 1, 2024
Weber State didnt hold onto the lead for long.
Northern Colorado went on an 8-0 run to go up by three.
The Wildcats’ other first-half hero, Dyson Koehler, tied the game once again with a left-wing triple.
Dyson hits the 3⃣!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/7R5jjPdk1F
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) March 1, 2024
Koehler finished as Weber State’s leading scorer in the half with 10. Jones finished the first half with 7 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Bears shot significantly better than the Wildcats in the first half but free throws made up the difference.
Weber State shot 38.5% from the field to 51.7% for NCU.
Good one going at the Dee Events Center! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/rTJIGkEgmC
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) March 1, 2024
The Bears pulled out in front as halftime approached and went into the break with a three-point lead, 36-33.
Second Half
After going cold to end the first half, Jones came out with a vengeance.
He scored the first four points of the half for the Wildcats and eight points in the first five minutes.
Northern Colorado pulled back out in front until Weber State tied it up with a triple.
Steven V for 3⃣!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/jodfPtEfkb
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) March 1, 2024
Jones continued to put his foot on the gas and scored four more points with two quick layups.
A Steven Verplancken mid-range jumper put the Wildcats up three with seven minutes left in regulation.
DJ is 🔥!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/KsKtU2r6wC
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) March 1, 2024
Weber State was able to hold onto its lead but couldn’t create much separation from the Bears.
With three minutes left, WSU led by two.
Northern Colorado rattled off eight unanswered points and took the lead with a minute on the clock.
With just 7 seconds left, Jones capped off a 6-0 run to tie the game at 71 and force overtime.
DJ TIES IT UP! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/0wOGHnepYU
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) March 1, 2024
Overtime
Northern Colorado opened a 6-2 run to take a four-point lead early in OT.
Down by six with 2:30 left, Blaise Threatt and Jones each dropped in a layup to make it a two-point game.
Jones’ layup was the first of seven points he would score in 90 seconds.
Northern Colorado called a timeout with 21 seconds left as they trailed by one.
Jones picked up his third steal of the game with 10 seconds left in overtime to seal the game.
Threatt hit to free throws to secure the 85-81 win.
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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.
