Weber State basketball: Robbins, Hintz lead WSU women to blowout of Westminster in opener
Weber State 86, Westminster 46
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- Weber State wing Hannah Robbins (8) pulls down a rebound amid several Westminster players during a nonconference game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (ROBERT CASEY, Weber State Athletics)
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- Weber State guard Grace Hintz, left, drives against Westminster’s Emily Evans during a nonconference game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (ROBERT CASEY, Weber State Athletics)
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- Weber State center Nicole Willardson (25) rises to shoot against Westminster’s Brianna Mendez (2) during a nonconference game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (ROBERT CASEY, Weber State Athletics)
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- Weber State guard Draya Wacker (3) rises to shoot against Westminster’s Ellie Mitchell (1) during a nonconference game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (ROBERT CASEY, Weber State Athletics)
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- Weber State wing Hannah Robbins (8) casts up a deep shot over a Westminster defender during a nonconference game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (ROBERT CASEY, Weber State Athletics)
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- Weber State guard Dakota Nap releases a shot during a nonconference game against Westminster on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (ROBERT CASEY, Weber State Athletics)
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- Weber State head women’s basketball coach Jenteal Jackson, lower left, leads the team in a timeout during a nonconference game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (ROBERT CASEY, Weber State Athletics)
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- Weber State’s Hanna Robbins (8) battles a Westminster player for possession during a nonconference game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. (ROBERT CASEY, Weber State Athletics)
OGDEN — A Weber State women’s basketball team that played no public exhibitions took the open court for the first time Tuesday night, emphatically controlling the second half to defeat Westminster University 86-46 in a season opener at the Dee Events Center.
Senior wing Hannah Robbins, one of four returners in the starting lineup. led Weber State with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and three steals in 26 minutes, while also leading WSU with three made 3-pointers.
Robbins said she’s come into this season with more clarity about her game, which was part of her night that she aims to carry through the season.
“This is the first time I really feel like I’ve played a full season and gotten to return, and kind of know what I’m coming into, what my role is,” Robbins said. “I think I just have a different level of confidence. I’m just playing with joy.”
Robbins and fellow Montana State transfer (one year apart) Grace Hintz each scored 10 points during a second half that saw Weber State turn a potential toss-up into a purple wave as the Wildcats posted a 51-19 advantage after halftime.
“There’s a lot of grinding, a lot of preparing, a lot of building, so … just excited to be back here, especially with this group,” fourth-year WSU head coach Jenteal Jackson said. “I’m excited about them and feel like we have really good weapons this year.”
Weber State took control early with a 10-0 first-quarter run but saw an eventual 17-point lead evaporate in the second quarter. Westminster, the Division II university in Salt Lake City, went on a 16-2 run over 5 minutes, capped with a 3-pointer from Elyah Ocampo to make it 30-27 late in the half.
“I think we got really focused on the offensive side, it wasn’t going our way for a minute there,” Jackson said. “So we had a lot of lapses defensively where we weren’t in help side, we weren’t making it tough, we didn’t have ball pressure, gave up too many O-boards.
“So things that we can control. This group, we have a lot of new kids who’ve got to learn those things and hopefully that’s a lesson we can learn right now.”
Robbins scored a rebound putback for WSU’s first field goal in 6 1/2 minutes and Montana transfer Draya Wacker knocked down a tough 3 just before halftime to put Weber ahead 35-27 at the half.
Robbins then scored as many points in the third quarter as Westminster (seven) and a Sydney White 3-pointer put Weber State up 52-32 with 2:30 left in the frame.
The margin only grew from there as Weber State, which has tended to be a turnover-prone team in recent years, won the turnover battle 19-8. That largely contributed to a 32-12 fourth quarter, and resulted in WSU holding positive margins in points off turnovers (29-6) and fast-break points (18-2).
Hintz, a guard, finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in 25 minutes off the bench. The sophomore got her first real action of her career after not carving out a role at Montana State as a freshman. A 23-points-per-game scorer as a high school senior in Washington showed that scoring prowess, but was also part of a notable rebounding effort off WSU’s guard line.
“I would say we’ve definitely seen that a lot in practice. We have everybody crashing, we have a lot of people who can jump,” Robbins said. “We have a lot of guards that just want to be here, want to play hard. I think defense is something you choose to do, and we have people that want to choose to do that. So it’s really exciting.”
Senior guard and UTSA transfer Siena Guttadauro finished with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 22 minutes off Weber State’s bench. White, the senior returning point guard, had 10 points, five assists and zero turnovers in 26 minutes.
Returning senior forward Paris Lauro added 10 points and five rebounds.
Ocampo finished with three 3s and led Westminster with 13 points. Post player Madison Anderson had 11 points, and guard Ellie Mitchell helped the Griffins with eight points and eight rebounds.
Weber State is next at home with a 4 p.m. Saturday tipoff against Denver, the first of a doubleheader with the WSU men, who host Utah Valley at 7 p.m.
