OGDEN -- Weber State's conference opening road trip to Montana State and Montana was one of the low points of its season so far.
Not long after losing superstar guard Damian Lillard for the season, WSU got edged by the Bobcats in their Big Sky opener and blown out by the Grizzlies on New Year's Eve.
Thursday's 68-62 win over Montana went a long way toward erasing bitter memories of that bitterly cold trip up north.
Adding one over Montana State at 4 p.m. this afternoon at the Dee Events Center would warm the Wildcats' current two-game uprising against the league's top teams into a hot streak.
WSU's victory over Thursday knocked Montana back into a first-place tie with Northern Colorado at 8-2 in league play, while Weber State (11-9, 5-4 Big Sky) and Northern Arizona are together in third place with a 5-4 league mark.
Montana State (11-11, 5-5) slipped to fifth place in the conference with a loss to Northern Arizona on Thursday. The Bobcats turned the ball over 20 times and scored a season low point total in their 61-41 defeat to NAU in Flagstaff.
Junior forward Kyle Bullinger said he's proud of how the team has responded to adversity, especially the younger players.
"It's been a tough schedule for us, three games in a row against the first place team (Northern Colorado twice, Montana once)," Bullinger said. "It's great for our team. Everybody's written about and we've all talked about losing Damian and having to overcome stuff like that. One of those things is you've got to bring it every night and you've got to be ready to play against the best teams in the league on a nightly basis."
Without Lillard, the league's leading scorer, and with other injuries along the way, Weber State's freshmen have been asked to grow up in a hurry in conference play.
"I'm really proud of the way that our young guys have played in the last couple of games," Bullinger said. "Jordan Richardson had a great game against Northern Colorado, then Byron (Fulton) did (Thursday). When Byron's on, it was really fun to watch. Our bench production and especially production from our young guys has really helped us as veterans to come along. We've got a long ways to go; we're making progress."
Richardson scored a team-high 17 points against Northern Colorado, keeping the Wildcats close enough to win it on Scott Bamforth's dramatic halfcourt buzzerbeater.
Fulton contributed 14 points off the bench against Montana, while the Wildcats shot 54.2 percent against the league's toughest defense and held MVP candidate Brian Qvale to 10 points.
Montana State has struggled offensively during its current four-game losing streak. The Bobcats are led by Erik Rush (14.5 points per game) and Bobby Howard (13.6 ppg).
Guards Lindsey Hughey (12.1 ppg) and Scott Bamforth (11.1 ppg) lead the Wildcats' attack, while Trevor Morris (9.9 ppg) and Bullinger (9.5 ppg) also hover near double figures.
After knocking off two first place Big Sky teams in back-to-back games, Bullinger said the Wildcats will be on their guard against a letdown against Montana State.
"I'm sure our coaches are concerned about it. Any coach has to be," Bullinger said. "That's our responsibility as upperclassmen to make sure we're ready to go. I think we will be. Our team has come a long way."
A long way since getting swept on a snowy December road trip to Montana.
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