Thursday, January 20, 2005
By Trent Toone
Deseret Morning News
OGDEN ? Opposing freshmen sensations who shoot the lights out, foes with big bench performances and opponents posting career individual numbers would be a nightmare for any team.
Actually all those things happened to Weber State (5-10, 1-4) last week. Just the latest in what is turning out to be a rough season for the Wildcats and their fans. But the season marches on, and the Wildcats find themselves preparing to play the next three games in six days, all at home.
Portland State (12-4, 4-0) comes to town tonight, Eastern Washington (5-11, 2-1) on Saturday and Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (4-14) on Tuesday in a non-conference showdown. The games will tip off at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats hope to recover after a rough road trip last week that included losses at Northern Arizona and Sacramento State. The Lumberjacks were led by freshman Cedric Hill's career-high 18 points and a bench that produced 43 on the Wildcats. Despite career nights by Coric Riggs and Lance Allred, Sacramento State defeated WSU as Hornets' forward Jason Harris scored another career-high 31 points.
The victory was only Sac State's second win over Weber State in 21 tries.
The Wildcats were forced to play without starting forward Troy Goodell in both games after he was declared academically ineligible. It is unclear when, or if, he will return to the lineup. WSU coach Joe Cravens said the team will know for sure this week.
"Just when we thought we'd turned the corner with the win over Montana, this bomb was dropped on us," Cravens said of the Goodell mess.
The timing couldn't be worse with the top two teams in the league coming to Ogden this week. Tonight, the Wildcats will play the Vikings for the second time in less than a month, with each team clearly heading in different directions. While Weber State has fallen to a record of 1-3 in conference play, Portland State has been red-hot, going 4-0.
Including preseason play, PSU comes into Ogden riding an eight-game winning streak. Their most recent victory came over defending Big Sky champion Eastern Washington.
The Wildcats were competitive in their first game with the Vikings but only shot 33 percent in the second half en route to a 73-62 loss on Jan. 1. WSU leads the overall series between the two teams at 16-6 and is 10-0 in Ogden. Cravens said the Vikings have the best all-around player in the league in forward Seamus Boxley. Boxley had 25 against the Wildcats in the previous game.
Weber State will get its first shot at Eastern Washington on Saturday.
The Wildcats are 20-2 all-time against EWU in Ogden, with Eastern's only wins coming in 2000 and 2001. The Eagles, currently second in the Big Sky standings, were selected in the preseason by coaches and media to win the Big Sky title. EWU is led by Marc Axton who is averaging 16.5 points per game. He is another candidate for Big Sky Player of the Year and recently became the 14th Eagle in school history to score more than 1,000 points.
If the Wildcats are unable to defeat PSU or EWU, then a nonconference game next Tuesday with Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, Ind., could do the trick. The Mastodons recently fired coach Doug Noll and named Joe Pechota the interim coach for the remainder of the season.
The game will be the first-ever meeting for both teams.
WILDCAT NOTES: Saturday's game with Eastern Washington has also been tagged as "Turn Back the Clock Night." It is the 25-year anniversary of the 1979-80 WSU hoop team that went 26-3 and finished No. 17 in the Associated Press Poll. Coaches and members of the team will be honored in a halftime ceremony and the current team will wear 1979-80 retro uniforms. The athletic department will also "turn back the clock" on ticket prices by offering special discounts.
By Trent Toone
Deseret Morning News
OGDEN ? Opposing freshmen sensations who shoot the lights out, foes with big bench performances and opponents posting career individual numbers would be a nightmare for any team.
Actually all those things happened to Weber State (5-10, 1-4) last week. Just the latest in what is turning out to be a rough season for the Wildcats and their fans. But the season marches on, and the Wildcats find themselves preparing to play the next three games in six days, all at home.
Portland State (12-4, 4-0) comes to town tonight, Eastern Washington (5-11, 2-1) on Saturday and Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (4-14) on Tuesday in a non-conference showdown. The games will tip off at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats hope to recover after a rough road trip last week that included losses at Northern Arizona and Sacramento State. The Lumberjacks were led by freshman Cedric Hill's career-high 18 points and a bench that produced 43 on the Wildcats. Despite career nights by Coric Riggs and Lance Allred, Sacramento State defeated WSU as Hornets' forward Jason Harris scored another career-high 31 points.
The victory was only Sac State's second win over Weber State in 21 tries.
The Wildcats were forced to play without starting forward Troy Goodell in both games after he was declared academically ineligible. It is unclear when, or if, he will return to the lineup. WSU coach Joe Cravens said the team will know for sure this week.
"Just when we thought we'd turned the corner with the win over Montana, this bomb was dropped on us," Cravens said of the Goodell mess.
The timing couldn't be worse with the top two teams in the league coming to Ogden this week. Tonight, the Wildcats will play the Vikings for the second time in less than a month, with each team clearly heading in different directions. While Weber State has fallen to a record of 1-3 in conference play, Portland State has been red-hot, going 4-0.
Including preseason play, PSU comes into Ogden riding an eight-game winning streak. Their most recent victory came over defending Big Sky champion Eastern Washington.
The Wildcats were competitive in their first game with the Vikings but only shot 33 percent in the second half en route to a 73-62 loss on Jan. 1. WSU leads the overall series between the two teams at 16-6 and is 10-0 in Ogden. Cravens said the Vikings have the best all-around player in the league in forward Seamus Boxley. Boxley had 25 against the Wildcats in the previous game.
Weber State will get its first shot at Eastern Washington on Saturday.
The Wildcats are 20-2 all-time against EWU in Ogden, with Eastern's only wins coming in 2000 and 2001. The Eagles, currently second in the Big Sky standings, were selected in the preseason by coaches and media to win the Big Sky title. EWU is led by Marc Axton who is averaging 16.5 points per game. He is another candidate for Big Sky Player of the Year and recently became the 14th Eagle in school history to score more than 1,000 points.
If the Wildcats are unable to defeat PSU or EWU, then a nonconference game next Tuesday with Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne, Ind., could do the trick. The Mastodons recently fired coach Doug Noll and named Joe Pechota the interim coach for the remainder of the season.
The game will be the first-ever meeting for both teams.
WILDCAT NOTES: Saturday's game with Eastern Washington has also been tagged as "Turn Back the Clock Night." It is the 25-year anniversary of the 1979-80 WSU hoop team that went 26-3 and finished No. 17 in the Associated Press Poll. Coaches and members of the team will be honored in a halftime ceremony and the current team will wear 1979-80 retro uniforms. The athletic department will also "turn back the clock" on ticket prices by offering special discounts.
