Weber State Wildcats Fall At Home To Montana Grizzlies

OGDEN, Utah – The Weber State Wildcats took on the Montana Grizzlies at home in the Dee Events Center on Saturday.

The Wildcats last game was a 10-point win over the Montana State Bobcats. The Grizzlies last game was an 8-point road victory over the Idaho State Bengals.

In the Big Sky Conference, Weber State holds the 3-seed and Montana holds the fourth.

First Half

Dillon Jones opened scoring for the Wildcats with a mid-range jumpshot.

Steven Verplancken Jr. came down and hit a three on the following possession for a quick 5-0 lead.

The Wildcats shot it very well early on. They made 6 of their first 8 shots.

Jones steal ➡️ Tew dunk! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/5yvX0j8Rl6

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 12, 2023

Montana fought back to tie the game at 14. Alex Tew regained the lead for WSU with a two-hand slam.

The Grizzlies continued to build on their lead. They took a 25-16 lead which forced a Weber State timeout.

Dillon Jones stopped the bleeding for the Wildcats with an and-one layup after splitting the defense.

DJ AND ONE! #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/6cbFkJDlvt

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 12, 2023

The efficiency from the beginning of the game was gone for WSU. Montana shot 60% in the first half. Weber State shot 40%.

The score at halftime was 37-31.

Halftime at the Dee

Montana leads 37-31

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 12, 2023

Second Half

The first three minutes of the second half saw one basket for each team.

The Wildcats found a lot of success in the paint. Dyson Koehler got the Wildcats going from three.

.@dysoncreed 3️⃣!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/HnhZOdwDyW

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 12, 2023

WSU Center Alex Tew was able to get easy baskets near the rim.

Montana continued to pour in the jumpshots. They took a double-digit lead halfway through the second half.

When @Bwhit_10 is on, opponents beware. He’s got nine straight Grizzly points and puts us up 49-40.#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/d8d9CHRUoT

— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 12, 2023

Efficient shooting from the Grizzlies resulted in a 16-point lead with 8 minutes left in the game.

🎯🎯🎯🎯

Moody has 18, Griz are up 16.#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/n9PvdoMHCN

— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 12, 2023

The Wildcats went on a run over the next three minutes. They closed the lead to eight, 60-52.

Another Z for 3️⃣!#WeAreWeber @iamzporter pic.twitter.com/2SqsmWKr28

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 12, 2023

Zahir Porter turned it up late in the game. He hit a big three to make it a 4-point game.

Big Z 3️⃣!!!#WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/MkzTM6zTka

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 12, 2023

Montana came down and got an easy dunk on the following possession.

The teams traded baskets down the stretch. With a minute left, Grizzlies led 70-67.

The defense from Vazquez! The Griz are trying to close this out for five straight wins!#GrizHoops #BigSkyMBB #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/kw2CvRWw5Q

— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) February 12, 2023

After forcing a turnover with 15 seconds left, Weber State lost the ball in transition.

WSU was forced to foul when down by three. Aanen Moody made both free throws.

Dillon Jones got fouled on a three-point attempt with 8 seconds left. He made 2 of 3 to make the score 72-69.

The Grizzlies hit two free throws to seal the game, 74-69.

💔

‘Cats fall 74-69 to Montana. #WeAreWeber pic.twitter.com/w5IY7zkzkK

— Weber State MBB 🏀 (@WeberStateMBB) February 12, 2023

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