Weber State women’s basketball starts 0-2 in Big Sky Conference play
Weber State women’s basketball is now in the midst of another losing streak after dropping two road games to open Big Sky Conference play over the weekend.
The Wildcats, now 3-11, started the season with seven straight losses, won three straight, and have now lost four consecutive games.
WSU has one game in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge this week when hosting Kansas City (where former head coach Velaida Harris is an assistant) at noon Saturday, Jan. 6, in the Dee Events Center. The Roos are 7-8 this season after losing their first two Summit League games.
Sacramento State and Portland State then visit Ogden the following week.
MONTANA 87, WEBER STATE 71
Trailing by 17 at halftime, Weber State fought back to a close deficit Friday night at Montana before the Griz scored 21 points over the final six minutes to run away with the game.
WSU guard Kennedy Eskelson scored in the lane and knocked down a 3-pointer to spark an 11-0 run, turning a 66-50 deficit to 66-61 when Kendra Parra added a 3 with 6:14 left. But the Wildcats went three minutes without a field goal down the stretch.
Montana’s Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw hit two shots to help build the lead for the home team, then made her fifth 3-pointer of the game with two seconds left for her team-high 21 points and for the final margin.
Daryn Hickok led WSU with 21 points and eight rebounds. Laura Taylor and Amelia Raidaveta each scored 12 points and Parra added 11.
MONTANA STATE 57, WEBER STATE 43
Montana State took an 18-8 lead to end the first quarter and the Bobcats cruised to a win Sunday afternoon in Bozeman.
Weber State totaled more 3-pointers than MSU, but shot 6 of 25 from behind the arc to the Bobcats’ 1 of 11. Montana State shot 18 of 35 (51.4%) on two-pointers and outscored Weber State 22-12 in the paint; the Wildcats were 8 of 34 on two-pointers (23.5%).
Laura Taylor was WSU’s only double-digit scorer with 11 points, shooting 3 of 9 from the 3-point line. Kaiija Lesane added seven points. Senior post Jadyn Matthews finished a rough week with three points in 26 minutes; in the two weekend games, she totaled five points on 1 of 14 shooting.