Weber State basketball smashes Idaho in first half to claim road victory
MBB final: Weber State 83, Idaho 72
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- Weber State guard Viljami Vartiainen (8) handles the ball against Idaho’s Isaiah Brickner in a Big Sky Conference game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Moscow, Idaho.
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- Weber State guard Tijan Saine Jr. (3) drives baseline against Idaho’s Seth Joba (21) in a Big Sky Conference game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Moscow, Idaho.
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- Weber State forward Nigel Burris (5) posts up against Idaho’s Jackson Rasmussen in a Big Sky Conference game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Moscow, Idaho.
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- Weber State guard Tijan Saine Jr., right, battles on a drive against Idaho’s Miles Klapper in a Big Sky Conference game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Moscow, Idaho.
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- Weber State guard Trevor Hennig, right, probes the paint against Idaho in a Big Sky Conference game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Moscow, Idaho.
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- Weber State guard Tijan Saine Jr. (3) pushes the ball up court against Idaho in a Big Sky Conference game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Moscow, Idaho.
Weber State men’s basketball spoke frequently about the need to begin Thursday’s game at Idaho in strong fashion.
It’s a common phrase in sports to “start fast” but, given Idaho’s win in Ogden four weeks ago in which it started with leads of 10-0 and 27-8, it was a sore spot the Wildcats wanted to rectify.
Mission accomplished. Weber State led by 26 late in the first half, kept from being truly threatened despite Idaho’s big answer, and the Wildcats took an 83-72 road victory in Moscow, Idaho.
“Our guys were locked in,” WSU head coach Eric Duft said in a postgame radio interview. “I think some of the adjustments we’ve made defensively, just without Jace (Whiting) … we’re starting to find a system that works for who we have right now.”
Tijan Saine Jr. increased his Big Sky-leading average to 21.9 points per game in league games with 29 points, including 15 in the final 11 minutes to turn away the Vandals’ comeback effort. He shot 4 of 7 from distance, now at a 42.9% clip in conference play.
Viljami Vartiainen was 3 of 3 from distance for 13 points; he’s shooting 45.1% from 3 in Big Sky games for the Wildcats (13-13, 7-6 Big Sky). WSU shot 9 of 17 from behind the arc while holding Idaho to 9 of 30.
Nigel Burris added 12 points and four rebounds in his final game at the place where he won Big Sky freshman of the year, and Malek Gomma had 12 points and six rebounds.
Sophomore guard Trevor Hennig returned from a four-game absence and totaled two points, six rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes.
For Idaho (13-12, 5-7), Isaiah Brickner scored 18 points, including 16 in the second half. Big man Brody Rowbury scored 11 points, and Trevon Blassingame had nine on three 3-pointers. The Vandals’ top three leading scorers in Kolton Mitchell, Jackson Rasmussen and Biko Johnson, who average 40.5 points per game, combined for 22 points.
The fast start came from Saine and Vartiainen, who each hit two 3-pointers for a 16-6 lead lead just 6 minutes in. Blassingame’s first 3 cut Idaho’s deficit to 19-11, and then the wheels fell off for the home team.
Weber answered with an 11-0 run, which extended to 19-2 over 8 minutes in a stretch where seven different Wildcats scored. A Saine drive made it 38-13 with 4:17 left in the half and two Burris free throws had it to 44-18 in the final minute; a Mitchell 3-pointer made it 44-21 at halftime.
The Vandals woke up out of the break, scoring 10 points in the first 3 minutes, but jumpers from Saine and Paschal, and a Vartiainen 3, in consecutive possessions had WSU up 56-31 with 15:45 left.
Brickner sparked his team over the next 4:32 of game time, starting with an and-one rebound putback to cut it to 20. Idaho shot 7 of 9 with three 3s in that stretch, piling a lightning-quick 20-4 run on the Wildcats. Brickner had nine of those points and Rowbury’s 3 made it 60-51 with 11:13 left, drawing a WSU timeout.
Weber shot 18 of 20 at the foul line and, as timing would have it, both misses came during Idaho’s avalanche.
Duft referenced Idaho’s ability to go on big runs at home and the team’s win over Montana State in a game it trailed 46-25.
“Because they shoot so many 3s, they kind of play in spurts. When they get going, they can get right back in it,” Duft said. “I thought our guys did a nice job of playing with composure. We made just enough baskets, got enough stops — we weren’t quite as good defensively but overall, we had a team effort.”
That was the only time Idaho got the deficit to single digits until final-minute desperation briefly had the margin to eight.
Saine made a 3 out of the timeout to stem the tide and Hennig, with his only points, made a tough fadeaway over Rowbury to put WSU ahead 14 with 9:15 remaining.
Saine ended it soon after, making a difficult step-back 3 over Brickner in the corner and following that with two free throws to put Weber State ahead 78-58 with 4:23 left.
The Wildcats next travel to Eastern Washington (8-17, 6-6) for a 3 p.m. MST matinee Saturday; the Eagles beat Idaho State on Thursday and have won three straight.
Elsewhere, Portland State (17-6, 11-1) shrugged off a slow start for a 77-68 win at Northern Arizona (9-18, 3-10). Northern Colorado (16-10, 6-7) won its fifth straight game with a 95-79 home sprint past Sacramento State (9-15, 5-7) in which center Brock Wisne totaled 29 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
WBB: IDAHO 80, WSU 67
Weber State women’s basketball made 10 first-half 3-pointers but shot only 2 of 12 after halftime and couldn’t keep up with power Idaho in a home defeat Thursday.
A 52-46 first half slowed down but Idaho outscored WSU 28-21 in the final two quarters to pull away.
Weber State (7-19, 1-12) got 13 points and eight rebounds from senior Antoniette Emma-Nnopu. Hannah Robbins and Nicole Willardson each scored 12 points, Sydney White had 10 points and six assists, and Paris Lauro added 10 points.
Hope Hassmann led first-place Idaho (20-5, 11-1) with 25 points. Ana Pinheiro and Debora Dos Santos each added 15 points. The Vandals pulled down 15 offensive rebounds and outscored WSU 18-5 in second-chance points.
WSU hosts Eastern Washington (12-13, 5-7) at 2 p.m. Saturday.
