Big Sky Conference

Xavier ends Weber’s season in NCAA 1st round

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Weber State handled Xavier’s press but could not overcome a cold shooting start, the negation of its best perimeter scorer or an injury to Ryan Richardson.

The Wildcats, the Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament champions, earned the No. 15 seed in the Midwest Region and took on the No. 2 seed Musketeers in St. Louis on Friday night. Weber committed just 11 turnovers against Xavier’s infamous press but Jeremy Senglin, the Big Sky Tournament MVP, scored seven points on 3-of-11 shooting and missed all five of his 3-point attempts, WSU shot just 27 percent in the first half and Richardson’s injury four minutes into the game resulted in a 71-53 win for Xavier.

Xavier build a 21-6 lead midway through the first half and never looked back. Weber cut the lead to 27-20 with 2:50 in the first half but Xavier extended the advantage to 34-23 before intermission.

Weber State kept the deficit between six and nine points for most of the second half but a 10-2 run gave Xavier a 66-51 lead with 2:51 left. Remy Abell’s 3-pointer with 1:24 left sealed the final margin.

Weber State senior Joel Bolomboy posted his 75th career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The 26th double-double this season for the Big Sky MVP and Defensive Player of the Year helped him break Willie Sojourner’s school record for rebounds in a season. WSU’s lone senior leaves Weber as the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots and the Big Sky’s all-time leader in career rebounds.

Weber State ends the season with a 26-9 mark. This was the program’s 16th trip to the NCAA tournament and its second in the last three seasons.

Freshman McKay Cannon had a strong debut in his first NCAA tournament appearance. The guard finished with 10 points, five assists and four steals, while knocking down two 3-pointers.

James Farr scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead Xavier. Jalen Reynolds scored 12 points, Abell added 11 and Trevon Bluiett chipped in 10 for the Musketeers, who moved to 28-5 this season. Xavier will face No. 7 seed Wisconsin in the second round on Sunday.

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About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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