OGDEN, Utah – The Weber State Wildcats mounted a valiant comeback effort, but ultimately fell short in a 83-80 loss to Montana.

Against the top team in their conference, the Wildcats played poorly in the first half while the Grizzlies rolled to a lead as large as 20 points in the first half.

Wildcats fall 83-80 to Montana. #WeAreWeber #BigSkyMBB 💔 pic.twitter.com/ckpuDSzwzr

— WeberStateMBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 15, 2019

At halftime, the Wildcats trailed 40-24 after shooting just 28.6 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Montana shot 50 percent from the floor while dominating the glass, snagging 25 rebounds to just 12 by Weber State.

Known for giving fiery halftime speeches, Weber State head coach Randy Rahe must have said some that sparked a much improved second half by the Wildcats.

Coming out of the break, the Wildcats outscored Montana 56-43 in the second half. They shot at a much better clip of 58.1 percent while drawing even with the Grizzlies on the boards with 16 rebounds each in the final 20 minutes.

Coming down the stretch, having chipped away at the Grizzlies’ lead, Cody John’s layup with 14 seconds left cut the deficit to just one point at 81-80.

Jerrick Harding 3 cuts the lead to 7!#WeAreWeber #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/OlbaHi5vJn

— WeberStateMBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 15, 2019

Montana knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Grizzlies a three-point cushion with 13 seconds remaining.

Jerrick Harding had a look at a game-tying 3-pointer but missed. The rebound was grabbed by Weber State’s Brekkott Chapman but his shot was also missed as the Grizzlies escaped the Dee Events Center with a narrow and important Big Sky Conference win.

Another 3 from @BrekkottChapman!#WeAreWeber #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/nMwtYC8W3E

— WeberStateMBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 15, 2019

By The Numbers

Harding led the Wildcats with 30 points while Chapman added 20 with five 3-pointers made.

Montana’s Sayeed Pridgett led his team with 29 points.

The loss bumped Weber State down to 15-10 overall and 9-5 in conference play.

Next Up

Weber State will look to regroup on Saturday when Montana State comes to town. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and be broadcast on Pluto TV.