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BOZEMAN, Mont. — Weber State basketball coach Randy Rahe seemed encouraged after a loss to Northern Arizona last Saturday.
Yes, the Wildcats fell while playing without their best player, but they narrowly lost to one of the Big Sky Conference’s better teams. Rahe liked the energy and the toughness; the resistance to losing. After all, Weber trailed by nine in the first half of that loss, but they came back to outscore the Lumberjacks in the second half, falling by seven.
Entering a critical two-game swing in Montana without guard Jeremy Senglin, the Wildcats are in a position of having to do whatever it takes to win. Winning equates to improving the opportunity to make the conference tournament, which is important to Weber.
The Wildcats did the important thing Thursday at Montana State, picking up a 74-71 win over the struggling Bobcats.
Forward Joel Bolomboy had another big game for the Wildcats. After Senglin broke his jaw in a loss against Southern Utah, Rahe said players would have to gradually improve their scoring output. Bolomboy has responded with scoring over 20 points in back-to-back games, while averaging double-digit rebounds. On the season, the junior forward is averaging just 13 points a game.
With four conference games to go, Weber State is in a fight with four teams for two spots in the tourney.
Besides Bolomboy, the Wildcats played solid offense in 52 percent from the field. In contrast, they held Montana State to 41 percent.
Turnovers may have considerably contributed to the final score as Weber State turned the ball over 17 times — a reflection of missing its starting point guard.
The win over Montana State is important for several reasons. First, it helps Weber stop a two-game conference losing streak, and second, it gives the Wildcats momentum as they close the trip at Montana, which sits in the upper-third of the league.
The biggest relief comes in the help it gives Weber in the race for the conference tourney. The top six teams advance to the tourney, with the top two seeds getting byes into the second round.
Thursday, Weber picked up a win, moving the Wildcats' record to 6-8. Idaho fell, dropping the Vandals to 6-7. Also, the Wildcats play Idaho again. Other games helped Weber as well. Northern Colorado fell to Sacramento State.
The Wildcats are essentially gridlocked with Idaho, Northern Colorado and Portland State. They will only play the Vandals again, and lost the head-to-head matchup with the Bears and the Vikings.
