‘Trust me’: Grayson calls game in front of Dame; Weber State basketball beats Idaho State
MBB final: Weber State 81, Idaho State 79
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- Weber State guard ArDarius Grayson (12) fires the game-winning 3-pointer to beat Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State forward Nigel Burris (5) lays in a basket against Idaho State during a Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State guard Tijan Saine Jr. (3) scoops a shot past Idaho State’s Evan Otten during a Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State guard Tijan Saine Jr. (3) attempts a shot while fouled by Idaho State’s Evan Otten (30) during a Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State guard ArDarius Grayson, bottom, yells after a play against Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State guard Viljami Vartiainen readies a 3-point attempt during a Big Sky Conference game against Idaho State on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State center Malek Gomma (7) attempts a shot against Idaho State’s Evan Otten (30) during a Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State guard Tijan Saine Jr. lets out a yell after a play against Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
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- Weber State guard Tijan Saine Jr. (3) drives against Idaho State’s Jamison Guerra (2) during a Big Sky Conference game Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden.
OGDEN — Down one with 17.2 seconds left, Tijan Saine Jr. had 28 points, had drawn 11 fouls and was 8 of 8 at the free-throw line as he brought the ball up the court Saturday afternoon at the Dee Events Center.
He knew — and just about everybody in the arena, including Idaho State’s defense, knew — that the next shot was his. But that’s why a true freshman came to Saine before the inbound pass to tell him one thing: “Trust me.”
Saine took a Malek Gomma screen going right, Idaho State hedged and, on the weak side, ISU guard Jamison Guerra had sucked into the paint as well. All eyes were on Saine.
The junior tossed a hook pass over his head to that freshman, ArDarius Grayson. Guerra recovered for a contest but arrived just as Grayson put the ball on the court for a right-to-left cross, dribbling into a gutsy 3-point attempt with 3.9 seconds left.
Winner.
Grayson immediately turned around to find Damian Lillard, his childhood hero, right next to him. The two Oakland ballers slapped hands, Guerra missed a running, wrong-footed scoop shot at the buzzer, and a short-handed Weber State squad survived for an 81-79 victory.
“It was a movie,” Grayson said. “You couldn’t put it any better than that. … It just felt good having someone I looked up to being there.”
The 3 gave Grayson a season-high 14 points and Saine tied his season-high with his eighth assist.
“Just hoopers. Those guys are fearless,” WSU head coach Eric Duft said of Saine and Grayson. “They want to win, their preparation’s great, and just that energy, that competitive spirit, it’s contagious.”
Idaho State (10-12, 3-6 Big Sky) took a 79-78 lead after Weber State (11-11, 5-4) had turned the ball over on two of its previous three possessions and after Grayson split a free-throw pair. But Grayson and fellow freshman Duce Paschal set up the winner.
On two screens meant to get Idaho State bucket-getter Connor Hollenbeck open, Grayson switched twice and recovered to chase Hollenbeck off the 3-point line. So he drove, Paschal stripped Hollenbeck near the block and the ball went off his leg out of bounds. That gave Weber its chance.
Saine shot 4 of 6 from downtown for his 28 points and is shooting 48.9% from 3 in Big Sky games. Grayson was 3 of 5 from distance. Senior forward Nigel Burris added 11 points, and junior center Gomma totaled nine points and 10 rebounds.
Weber State played without starting junior guard Jace Whiting, out for several weeks with a foot injury, and without sophomore guard Trevor Hennig, who was sick enough to be sent home before the game. Viljami Vartiainen has also been ill this week but recovered enough to take the court Saturday.
Gomma was key in Weber State’s second-half rally after going down 13 points. He hauled in six offensive rebounds and WSU tallied a 13-2 second-chance advantage for the game. Vartiainen scored nine points and Edwin Suarez Jr. added eight.
Hollenbeck led Idaho State with 27 points. Martin Kheil added 19 points and the two combined to hit 8 of 17 from distance. Kheil got loose for four first-half 3s and Hollenbeck’s triple with 14:51 left put the Bengals ahead 52-39.
“They’re very efficient (offensively), they make you guard and can post about anybody on their roster,” Duft said about the challenge of defending Idaho State.
Grayson started what became a 15-2 rally with a contested 3 and two free throws.
“I started off, I think, 0 for 4, and usually a lot of people just put their head down,” Grayson said. “But coach puts confidence in me to shoot the next open shot and keep shooting.”
Burris and Saine ended the rally with old-fashioned three-point plays, and WSU tied it 54-54 with 10:08 left.
Idaho State answered with a 16-6 run capped when Evan Otten tossed in a tough baseline hook and Kheil got free for his lone second-half 3, good for a 66-60 lead with 7:10 to go.
In a flash, Grayson hit a 3-pointer, Gomma scored inside and a Burris traffic rebound led to Saine pulling up for a transition 3 — a 10-0 run to give WSU a 70-66 lead at the 4:46 mark, which set up the close finish.
“It was just a player’s game, and we had a couple guys out there just making plays,” Duft said. “Coach (Dan) Russell did a good job making some defensive adjustments in the second half, our post double wasn’t working very well.”
Idaho State took a 15-6 lead early and led 38-33 at halftime. Despite ISU’s first-half shooting display, WSU ended with a better mark from deep, going 9 of 20 to the visitors’ 9 of 22.
It was the first of four games in eight days for Weber State; the Wildcats play Monday night in Sacramento.
“We definitely need to grow up,” Saine said about the early deficit. “We’re doing a better job but we’ve got to grow up … (and have) heart. Long stretch to come, we’re undermanned, we gotta step up. It’s next man up. No time to feel sorry for ourselves.”
WBB: ISU 65, WSU 54
Weber State women’s basketball got behind 20-8 after the first quarter in Pocatello and couldn’t recover, taking their ninth straight loss while shooting 38.6% from the floor.
Senior forward Antoniette Emma-Nnopu led Weber State (6-16, 0-9) with 16 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Paris Lauro hit three of her team’s five 3-pointers on the way to 13 points.
Tasia Jordan led all scorers with 19 points for Idaho State (13-7, 6-3).
In the same eight-day stretch as the men, the WSU women return for one home game, hosting Sacramento State at 6 p.m. Monday.
