Game Recap

Harding, fast-paced Wildcats sprint past Montana State

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The rematch in Ogden played out almost like an encore.

On January 24 in Bozeman, Weber State hit 12 of its first 18 shots and five of its first eight tries from beyond the 3-point arc in racing to a 32-16 lead midway through the first half against Montana State. The Bobcats rallied, cutting the deficit to five points in the second half before ultimately losing 93-84.

On Saturday in Ogden, the Wildcats bolted to leads of 16-4 and 22-9 before MSU found its footing. In the rematch, Montana State used the sweet shooting of its All-Big Sky backcourt to take a lead into halftime, 40-39.

But in the second half, Weber State hit 13 of its first 15 shots to widen the gap on the way to a crucial 94-82 victory in front of 7,508 at the Dee Events Center on Saturday night.

“I’m proud of the guys and how hard they fought tonight,” MSU coach Brian Fish said. “They played so hard, but (Weber State) made some tough shots, some deep shots that as a staff we decided we’d give them to take away other things. Credit them, but our guys left it all on the floor so my hat’s off to them, as well.”

The victory moves Weber State to 10-5 in Big Sky Conference play, 16-10 overall. The Wildcats sit along in third place in the league standings, a game ahead of Montana State. The Bobcats are 9-6 in league play, 12-13 overall after having their four-game winning streak snapped.

Weber State junior Jerrick Harding continued his recent tear, scoring 15 points in the first half and 28 points overall. He scored 27 second-half points during a 30-point outing in WSU’s 83-80 loss to Montana on Thursday night. Harding scored four points during an 8-2 run that helped Weber regain the lead early in the second half. And he hit one of his four 3-pointers during a 12-2 spurt that helped the Wildcats turn a 63-61 game with 11:18 left into a comfortable cushion they would keep in earning the season sweep of Montana State.

WSU is 52-7 all-time against MSU in Ogden.

Tyler Hall, Keljin Blevins and the Bobcats exploited Weber State’s lack of depth during the first half run that helped MSU take a lead into the break. The Wildcats played for the third straight game without senior center Zach Braxton. WSU has also been without the services of backup guard Doc Nelson for about a month.

Hall, the Big Sky’s all-time leader in career points and made 3-pointers, hit a pull-up jumper at the halftime buzzer to cap a 12-point opening 20 minutes and give MSU its last lead. He finished with 25 points, giving him 2,357 in his career.

Hall’s 3-point play with 11:18 left cut the lead to 63-61 before Caleb Nero sparked Weber’s most important run. The true freshman from Tulsa, Oklahoma scored all 19 of his points in the second half, including eight points during the 12-2 push.

Montana State guard Tyler Hall (3)/by Brooks Nuanez

Hall’s third 3-pointer with 50 seconds left cut the lead to 89-79. It also gave him 400 made 3-pointers in his decorated Montana State career. The senior from Rock Island, Illinois is one of just 17 players in the history of men’s Division I basketball to make that many 3s.

MSU junior point guard Harald Frey hit his fifth 3-pointer in six attempts with 35 seconds left to close the gap to 91-82. But Nero hit three of four free throws to close the victory.

Frey finished with 25 points and Blevins scored 10, although Blevins did not score after halftime. MSU shot 39.4 percent after halftime while the fast-paced hosts shot 63.3 percent in the second half and 54 percent overall.

Harding and WSU senior Brekkott Chapman each hit four 3-pointers as Weber State hit 13-of-26 from deep. MSU was 11-of-27 from beyond the arc, but Hall (3-10) and Blevins (1-5) shot 25 percent to offset Frey’s 5-of-6 effort.

WSU junior Cody John scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half to join Harding, Nero, Chapman (14) and Michael Kozak (10 points) in double figures.

Blevins recorded a 10 point, 10 rebound double-double.

Montana State visits Montana next weekend. The Bobcats have lost 16 of their last 17 to their bitter rivals. The Griz posted an 80-68 win at Idaho State on Saturday, the ninth straight victory for the league-leading and defending Big Sky champions.

Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved. 

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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