by Amber Bischoff
OGDEN – The Weber State women’s basketball team battled a tough San Diego squad this Tuesday evening at the Dee Events Center. Trailing by ten to end the third quarter, the comeback ‘Cats worked together to take a 63-62 lead but ultimately fell 66-63 to the Toreros.
First Half | Tied at 7-7 in the first quarter, San Diego started to pull ahead following a 7-0 run and ultimately giving them a four point advantage as the quarter ended 12-16 in favor of the Toreros. Wildcat Antoniette Emma-Nnopu led with five points and four rebounds. Starting the second quarter strong, WSU scored six straight points to trail the Toreros by one. However, unable to take the advantage away from San Diego, the quarter ended with the Toreros on top 40-28.
Second Half | The Wildcats battled in the third quarter, stringing together a late five-point run. A three-pointer put up by Lanae Billy allowed the ‘Cats to trail by six but two good free throws and a jumper by San Diego ended the quarter 48-58. Weber State put on a good performance in the fourth, not allowing the Toreros a point from 7:30 on the clock to 0:36. An 11-0 run during that time by the WSU offense put the ‘Cats down by one point with just over a minute left in the quarter. Mata Peaua made a layup with 46 seconds left to go giving Weber State their first lead in the game 63-62. Unfortunately, a layup and two good free throws gave San Diego what they needed to secure a 66-63 victory over the Wildcats.
Head Coach Jenteal Jackson Said:
“I think that our response after halftime was much better. We gave to much of a lead in the first half and I thought that we did some things that were controllable on our end that we need to be better at moving forward. I wish we could have started that game sharper, but I am proud of how they responded during the second half with their bounce back and fight to never quit.”
Wildcat Stats
- Billy went 4-for-9 from the arc and totaled 14 points to lead the Wildcats.
- Taylor Smith put up nine points, three rebounds and three blocks.
- Emma-Nnopu led the defense with 11 rebounds.
- Weber State shot 34.4 percent from the field compared to San Diego’s 39 percent.
