Weber State Survives Idaho Comeback, Wins On Road

MOSCOW, Idaho – The Weber State Wildcats travelled to the ICCU Arena to take on the Idaho Vandals on Thursday.

The Wildcats are coming off of a gritty two-point victory over the Sacramento State Hornets, 50-48. The Vandals last game was a 6-point road loss to the Northern Colorado Bears, 73-67.

Dillon Jones led Weber State to two wins last week, securing their first even record since the second game of the year.

First Half

The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead, 7-0, with efficient offense.

.@dysoncreed throws it down! pic.twitter.com/75sbkN8t2q

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 27, 2023

Weber State made 6 of their first 7 shots while holding Idaho to 3/8 in the same stretch.

Stevie V for 3️⃣!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/zTMeNsdTj8

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 27, 2023

The Wildcats made all of their first three 3-point attempts.

Z for 3️⃣! #WeAreWeber | @iamzporter pic.twitter.com/vwUSwPOfzb

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 27, 2023

Weber jumped out to an early double-digit lead, 24-12.

Shooting was a big factor in the lead. The Wildcats shot 67% from the field and 63% from three in the first half.

Handje Tamba had a highlight two-hand slam late in the first half.

OH MY @HandjeTamba!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/S2xWhHDH0Y

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 27, 2023

Steven Verplancken Jr. was the leading scorer, 10, for the Wildcats in the first half. The score at halftime was 38-22.

What a half! 👏

Wildcats shoot 63 percent from the field with 6 3-pointers! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/YuKM0Xnzib

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 27, 2023

Second Half

Dillon Jones came out of halftime and scored four quick points for the Wildcats.

Shots began dropping for the Vandals in the second half.

Domo from outside 👌#GoVandals | @_kvngdomo_ pic.twitter.com/ls8erC2zLA

— Idaho Basketball (@VandalHoops) January 27, 2023

Steven Verplancken Jr. and Dillon Jones led the attack for Weber State.

Ten minutes into the second half, the Idaho Vandals went on a run to cut the lead in half.

With 7 minutes left in the game, Idaho cut the lead down to single digits, 60-51.

Back-to-back triples from @trey44smith 🎯

The Vandals are within single digits with under seven minutes to play. #GoVandals | #IBelieve pic.twitter.com/3xwhui4rmj

— Idaho Basketball (@VandalHoops) January 27, 2023

The Wildcats came back on the other end and took the double-digit lead right back.

“big bucket” 🪣 @Stevenv_jr pic.twitter.com/ZRoe5PEd09

— Big Sky Men’s Hoops 🏔🏀 (@BigSkyMBB) January 27, 2023

With just over two minutes remaining, the Vandals scored 5 quick points to drop the lead all the way down to six, 66-60.

Dillon Jones showed why he is the reigning Big Sky player of the week with a strong take to the basket.

Idaho guard Trey Smith hit a pull-up three to make it 70-65.

After multiple free throw line trips in the final 30 seconds, the Wildcat’s walked out of Moscow with a win. The final score was 73-65.

ROAD DUB! 👏#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/q7L142ZJe1

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) January 27, 2023

Chandler Holt is a Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com, specializing in all things basketball and football. Follow Chandler on Twitter at @ChandlerHoltKSL.