SALT LAKE CITY – Hot shooting and strong defense propelled the Weber State Wildcats to the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament with a 68-56 win over Montana.

Dillon Jones had a strong game for Weber State with a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds against Montana. Koby McEwen poured in 17 points, while J.J. Overton added 10 points.

Robby Beasley and Derrick Carter-Hollinger scored 12 points apiece to lead Montana. Josh Bannan chipped in 11 points with nine of them coming from the free throw line.

WHAT. A. WIN.

ON TO THE SEMIS! #WeAreWeber #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/fVPam0FyTj

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) March 10, 2022

Two Big Runs Help Weber State Get Past Montana

It was a red-hot start for Montana in the first four minutes of the game with the Grizzlies jumping out to a 12-4 lead on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 from the three-point line. Weber State had two turnovers and went just 2-for-4 from the floor.

The next four minutes was all Weber State by hitting five of their next seven shots. Montana didn’t score for 2:40 of that stretch and committed three turnovers. Montana had a 15-14 lead with 11:27 remaining in the first half.

Weber State finally took their first lead of the game with 7:44 remaining in the first half when they went on a 6-0 run over a 1:30 stretch. During that span, Montana didn’t score for 2:36 and committed three turnovers during that time.

The Wildcats took a 30-25 lead at halftime. Dillon Jones was really good for Weber State, finishing the first half with 11 points and four rebounds. Koby McEwen added eight points.

It was all Weber State to start the second half as they jumped out to an 11-2 run and was up 41-27 with 15:33 remaining. Montana had three turnovers in a span of 1:44. The Wildcats coasted throughout the second half as they finished the final 20 minutes shooting 57% from the field. Montana went ice cold in the second half, making just six field goals on 19 attempts.

The only thing keeping the Grizzlies within striking distance was from attempting 24 free throws with 18 makes.

Weber State will advance to the Big Sky Conference semifinals and will face 1-seed Montana State on Friday, March 11 at 5:30 p.m. MT on ESPN+.

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