WSU Wildcats

There are games, and then there are games.

OGDEN — Akeem Richmond hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift East Carolina over Weber State 77-74 Tuesday night at the Dee Events Center and claim the CollegeInsider.com Tournament championship, capping the best season in school history.

The Pirates trailed 71-65 with 2:50 remaining but closed on a 12-3 run.

Weber State (30-7) had a chance to pad its late lead but had trouble at the line, making 9 of 19 free throws overall.

OGDEN — A major surge of purple pride, worn on the outside and inside, had the Weber State University Dee Events Center ticket office bursting at the seams Monday.

“Awesome,” one event staff member described the scene.

The occasion: Tonight’s basketball game between Weber State and East Carolina, in the CollegeInsider.Com Tournament championship game.

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Senior All-American Amber Henry ran a 9:55.07 steeple chase at the Stanford Invitational hosted by a Stanford University. That time is the fastest time in the West Region and the second-best time in the nation.

OGDEN — So much in Scott Bamforth’s earlier life was about losing, his dad in the seventh grade, his mom 2 1/2 years later then nearly his own wife and newborn son at the start of his junior season at Weber State.

The 6-foot-2 senior has overcome it all.

Now the former Albuquerque player has helped the Wildcats set a school and Big Sky record for victories in a season while advancing to Wednesday night’s CIT quarterfinals against Oral Roberts. Along the way the 23-year-old has surpassed current NBA rookie standout Damian Lillard as Weber’s 3-point king.

Coaches, teammates and friends couldn’t be happier for Bamforth, forced to grow up much too fast then given a dose of tough love to make him the man he is today.

LOS ANGELES — Ben Howland kept it classy in departing as UCLA basketball coach on Monday, thanking the athletic director who had fired him a day earlier while noting the high expectations that come with running a program that owns a record 11 national championships.

Howland was applauded by supporters as he walked into a news conference at Pauley Pavilion for the last time. The 55-year-old coach, who played at Weber State,  expressed gratitude for his 10-year run in Westwood, the longest tenure since John Wooden retired in 1975 after 27 years on the sideline.

Howland had a 233-107 record that included three consecutive Final Four appearances and four Pac-12 titles, including this season, when the Bruins were 25-10. Their season ended with a 20-point loss to Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

OGDEN — Too many mistakes.

The Weber State University softball team suffered through an error-filled afternoon on Saturday, dropping its series finale against North Dakota 11-4 in Big Sky Conference action at Wildcat Softball Field.

The Wildcats (2-1 Big Sky, 4-21 overall) pounded out a series-high 10 hits, but committed five errors and stranded nine base runners in the loss.