Wildcats start era with win

The Randy Rahe era got off to a pretty good start Wednesday night as the Weber State University Men's Basketball Team won their preseason opener 86-67 against the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. "I'm glad it's out of the way," said Rahe, Weber State men's basketball head coach. "It was a really good game for us. They ran great motion and made us play defense for a long time." After a dismal 2005-06 season for the men's basketball program, Rahe was brought in to help get the program back to the status of one of the elite basketball programs in the Big Sky Conference. With only three returning players from last season's team, Rahe has his hands full with new talent to shape and a winning atmosphere to create. Wednesday, it was the seniors who helped lead the Wildcats to victory. It didn't take long for Weber State senior forward David Patten to make his presence known as he scored the first two points of the 2006-07 season with an emphatic dunk to help get the crowd into the game. Weber State tried to blow the Mountain Lions out early, but UCCS stuck around and refused to be dismissed so easily. UCCS took its first lead of the game with a 3-pointer by freshman forward/guard Joe Scott. Scott finished as the high scorer for the Mountain Lions with 17 points on 5-13 shooting. Weber State looked a little tense early. Coach Rahe attributed that fact for being the first game. "I could really tell in the first half that some kids were playing very tight," Rahe said. "We started loosening up and started playing. We got some stops and got some easy baskets." Weber State senior forward Dan Henry and Patten were high scorers for the team. Henry finished with 21 points on 9-14 shooting, and Patten finished with 17 points on 6-9 shooting. "Coach Rahe conditioned us really well," Henry said. "I think at the end our legs were still with us and we pushed through that little barrier at the end." UCCS put up a good fight. With about nine minutes left in the game, Weber State only held a one-point, 61-60 lead. The Wildcats started putting more pressure on the Mountain Lions, forcing turnovers and bad shots. The Wildcats outscored UCCS 25-7 the final eight minutes of the game to get their first victory of the year. "I put expectations on them and as a team," Rahe said. "We have done things a little differently and made them accountable for their actions." Weber State finished the game shooting almost 43 percent from the field and about 73 percent from the free-throw line. The Wildcats only committed 12 turnovers compared to 19 by UCCS. There are still many questions that are left unanswered for the Wildcats. With a new head coach and new faces on the bench, everyone is holding their breath, hoping Weber State can again show they belong. For the Wildcats, it's all about getting back to the basics. "We are going to play with discipline, we're going to play hard," Rahe said. "We're going to defend and rebound and we're going to be good teammates." The Wildcats next play on Monday at 8 p.m. against Laurention College from Sudbury, Ontario. The regular season will start at the Dee Events Center Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. against Colorado Christian University.

You can reach reporter Jared Wilhelmson by calling 626-7983.