Weber State Sweeps Weekend To Open Big Sky Play
Dec 31, 2022, 4:26 PM
Weber State guard Steven Verplancken Jr. (Courtesy of Robert Casey / Weber State Athletics)
(Courtesy of Robert Casey / Weber State Athletics)
OGDEN, Utah – The Weber State men’s basketball team swept the opening weekend of Big Sky play after a 76-60 win over Northern Arizona on Saturday.
Weber State was in control for most of the game after outscoring Northern Arizona 37-30 in the first half and 39-30 in the second half.
Junior Ballard led the Wildcats with 16 points off the bench, including 4-of-6 shooting from the three-point line. Steven Verplancken Jr. chipped in 14 points. Although Ballard and Verplancken Jr. were the only Weber State players to reach double figures, Dillon Jones dropped nine points, 15 rebounds, and six assists.
Alex Tew recorded nine points and seven rebounds. Zahir Porter added nine points off the bench.
Weber State shot 58% from the field, 31% from the three-point line, and 13-of-16 at the free-throw line. The Wildcats edged out the Lumberjacks on the boards 29-26 and committed 13 turnovers compared to NAU’s 16 miscues.
Closing out 2022 2-0 in Big Sky play! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/4FURKs9ViT
— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) December 31, 2022
For Northern Arizona, Jalen Cone led the way with 16 points and six rebounds. Nik Mains finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Trenton McLaughlin posted nine points off the bench. Former Olympus star Jack Wistrcill had five points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal in 13 minutes on the floor.
As a team, Northern Arizona shot 42% from the field, 45% from beyond the arc, and attempted just seven free throws, making five of them.
Weber State Returns Home In One Week In Search For Third Straight Win
The Wildcats improved its record to 7-8 overall and 2-0 in conference play. They have wins over Western Colorado, Abilene Christian, Saint Martin’s, Cal Poly, Utah State, Northern Colorado, and Northern Arizona. Weber State has losses against Washington, Colorado State, UC Riverside, Wright State, Tarleton State, Utah Tech, California Baptist, and BYU.
The Wildcats will return to the Dee Events Center on Saturday, January 7 to face Idaho State at 7:00 p.m. MT on ESPN+ and 103.1 FM “The Wave.” Then Weber State will hit the road for a trip to Montana on Thursday, January 12, and Montana State on Saturday, January 14.
