Wildcats nearly upset BYU

The Weber State University Basketball Team was looking for its first-ever win in the Marriot Center Friday, November 27th. WSU recovered from a 14-point lead in the first half and led several times in the second half but couldn’t hold on for the upset. The Brigham Young University Cougars won the game 87-70.
“I mean, we came into the game and we knew we had nothing to lose,” sophomore Damian Lillard said. “Everybody expected them to beat us, so we just came out and gave them our best shot. We did everything to give ourselves a chance; we just didn’t pull a win out.”
“It was a battle and I was really pleased of the way our team played,” said WSU Head Coach Randy Rahe. “BYU is a great team and they are tough to beat anywhere. I was proud of the way our team fought hard and kept battling. It was a high-level game and I was pleased with our effort.”
Lillard led the team with 23 points on 8-16 shooting (4-8 from behind long-distance) and also added four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Forward Kyle Bullinger led the team with nine rebounds and also had nine points in 35 minutes of play. Junior Lindsey Hughey had his highest scoring game of the year so far with 16 points on 6-9 shooting, but also committed five of the Wildcats’ 18 turnovers.
“We defended,” Lillard said. “We got up and pressured the ball and forced them out of their offense and forced them out of their comfort zone. We started to score and we got great shots. We knocked down shots and that gave us a chance to win.”
WSU again had more opportunities to score than their opponents, gaining extra offensive possessions by grabbing 16 offensive boards, but shot only 40.0 percent (24-60) from the field compared to 49.0 percent (25-51) by the Cougars.
“We got a lot of good shooters on our team,” Lillard said. “Right now we’re just struggling. We get in and shoot every day, and shooters have to shoot. You have to constantly be in the gym getting shots up and we’ve been doing that; we just are in a slump right now. I don’t think it’ll last long. It should be over soon. As far as offensive rebounding last night, we just crashed hard. Everybody crashed hard and we just kept chasing every ball.”
Guard Jimmer Fredette, who did most of his damage from the free-throw line (10-10), led the Cougars with 23 points and seven assists. Guard Jackson Emery and forward Jonathan Tavernari also scored in double figures with 15 and 14 points respectively.
“You have to be able to do other things than score,” Lillard said. “We can stop the other team. I think that the reason we got more shots off is because we want to get out in transition and get (quick shots).”