Weber State Trounces D-II Lincoln Ahead Of Grueling Stretch
Dec 18, 2024, 9:55 PM | Updated: 9:56 pm
Photo courtesy of Weber State Basketball.
OGDEN, Utah- The Weber State Wildcats returned home to the Dee Events Center after beating in-state foe Utah Tech in St. George last Friday.
The win against the Trailblazers was their first after a two-game skid during the Big Sky-Summit Challenge, dropping consecutive contests to the North Dakota and North Dakota State. With their domination over the Oaklanders, the Wildcats have put together consecutive wins for only the second time this season to get back to .500.
Now with only two games remaining before Big Sky Conference play gets underway, it will be important for the Wildcats to build chemistry and momentum, but they will have to do it against two formidable opponents.
A dominating Wildcat dub!
7⃣Wildcats in double figures scoring!#WeberStateGreat pic.twitter.com/gy1OEhF5hm
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) December 19, 2024
Weber State welcomed in Division II opponent Lincoln University on Wednesday night and didn’t waste any time putting the game out of reach. Even without starting forward Dyson Koehler out of the lineup for the Wildcats, the home team opened the game with a 13-0 run.
By the time the first 20 minutes wrapped up, Weber State had already scored 73 points and controlled a 44-point lead. The second half was much of the same with a slight dip on the offensive end, and the Wildcats easily cruised to the 128-58 victory.
The load was light for the Weber State starting lineup with 17 minutes being the most that any starter got. The Wildcats dug deep down their bench, allowing some of the younger, less experienced members of the roster to play some important developmental minutes. 11 different Wildcats played for at least 11 minutes and there were seven players who scored in double figures.
Oh my Alex! 💪 pic.twitter.com/YCCS8RTRDS
— Weber State Men’s Basketball (@WeberStateMBB) December 19, 2024
Blaise Threatt led the way for Weber State, notching a double-double in his 17 minutes with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Not far behind were Nemanja Sarenac with 17 points and Marko Sarenac with 15 points.
Wednesday’s win was an important step to build confidence throughout the roster as Weber State close out their non-conference schedule.
What’s Next For Weber State?
With consecutive wins over Utah Tech and Lincoln, let’s take a look forward to Weber State’s next two matchups to see how the Wildcats can add to the win column.
Utah Valley Wolverines
The Wildcats will have a short turn around with the Utah Valley Wolverines making the short trip north for a Beehive State Battle on Saturday night. The Wolverines are trying to find their way after a four-game losing street that started in November and leaked into December.
Utah Valley just beat Idaho State in Pocatello to get to 6-6 on the season. Regardless of their record, the Wolverines have no problems scoring the basketball. They have put up at least 70 points in each of their games this season, but they are allowing their opponents to score nearly just as many. Weber State does score above Utah Valley’s defensive average, so look for a potentially high-scoring game on Saturday.
ESPN Analytics is giving Weber State a sizable edge against Utah Valley, predicting that the Wildcats have a 71.8% chance to win at home.
Game time for Weber State vs Utah Valley is at 7:00 p.m. MT on December 21. You can watch the game on ESPN+.
Oregon Ducks
After their bout with the Wolverines at home, the Wildcats will go on the road to play most likely their toughest opponent all season. Weber State will visit the Pacific Northwest and seek an upset against the No. 10 Oregon Ducks. Oregon is 10-1 on the season with wins over two ranked opponents in Texas A&M and Alabama, and their only loss coming to UCLA.
Oregon shoots the three-pointer significantly better than Weber State and scores more than eight points more on average than the rest of the Wildcats’ adversaries. Perimeter defending will be key for Weber State, and they cannot allow the Ducks to build a lead early that would require the Wildcats to shoot a large volume from three-point range.
Oregon will be heavy favorites on game day, and as of right now ESPN Analytics only gives Weber State a 4.9% chance to win.
Tipoff from Eugene will be at 3:00 p.m. MT on December 29. Coverage will be on B1G+.
Weber State Begins Big Sky Play
Following their test against Oregon, the Wildcats will go on the road for their first three conference games against Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona, and Idaho State. After Utah Valley on Saturday, Weber State will not play again at the Dee Events Center until January 16.
