Weber St defeats N Arizona 65-78
Weber St Edges N Arizona Behind Balanced Attack, 78-65
In a hard-fought conference matchup at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, Weber State University's men's basketball team proved that it has what it takes to compete with the best in the Big Sky Conference. The Red Hawks came away with a convincing 13-point victory over host NAU, improving their chances of making a deep playoff run.
For N Arizona, which had been riding high on a four-game winning streak, this was a tough pill to swallow. Despite being led by Traivar Jackson's 16 points and 9 rebounds, the Lumberjacks struggled to contain Weber State's balanced attack.
The turning point in the game came at halftime, when Weber State took its first lead of the night with a 42-31 score. From there, the Red Hawks built on their advantage, using their strong rebounding and outside shooting to outdistance the home team.
Viljami Vartiainen led the way for Weber State with 16 points on 4-11 three-point shooting, while Nigel Burris added 11 points and 6 rebounds. The Red Hawks also got key contributions from Tijan Saine, who dished out four assists in addition to his 15 points.
In contrast, NAU struggled with its free throw shooting, converting just 11 of 17 attempts. The Lumberjacks' lack of depth on the glass was also evident, as they were outrebounded by their opponents 26-34.
Despite being down by as many as 6 in the second half, N Arizona never gave up. Traivar Jackson continued to lead the charge for his team, scoring 10 points in the final frame before ultimately falling short.
Weber State's win is a significant statement from the Red Hawks, who have been working hard to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Big Sky Conference. With this victory, they improve their chances of making a deep playoff run and cement their status as one of the top teams in the league.
Game Stats
N Arizona (HOME)
* Field Goals: 24/55 (44.0%)
* 2-Point FG: 18/30 (60.0%)
* 3-Point FG: 6/25 (24.0%)
* Free Throws: 11/17 (65.0%)
* Rebounds: 34
* Assists: 14
* Turnovers: 8
* Steals: 3
* Blocks: 5
Weber St (AWAY)
* Field Goals: 31/67 (46.0%)
* 2-Point FG: 18/38 (47.4%)
* 3-Point FG: 13/29 (45.0%)
* Free Throws: 3/7 (43.0%)
* Rebounds: 39
* Assists: 17
* Turnovers: 5
* Steals: 4
Advanced Stats
* N Arizona:
+ eFG%: 49.1%
+ FT Rate: 30.9%
+ OREB%: 23.5%
+ TO Ratio: 12.7%
+ True Shooting%: 52.0%
* Weber St:
+ eFG%: 56.0%
+ FT Rate: 10.4%
+ OREB%: 33.3%
+ TO Ratio: 7.9%
Game Leaders
* N Arizona:
+ Traivar Jackson (16 pts, 45.5% FG)
+ Chris Komin (6 ast, 2 pts, 4 reb)
* Weber St:
+ Viljami Vartiainen (16 pts, 42.9% FG)
+ Nigel Burris (11 pts)
+ Tijan Saine (4 ast, 15 pts)