Weber State basketball: Wildcats clinch a share of Big Sky title

OGDEN — The goals for all Big Sky basketball teams never change: win the regular season conference title, host the postseason tournament, and then earn a spot in the big dance by winning the tourney.

Weber State is two-thirds of the way there.

The Wildcats clinched at least a share of the regular season Big Sky title for the third time in four seasons by blasting Idaho State 89-64 at the Dee Events Center on Saturday night. The victory gives Weber State the right to host the Big Sky semifinals and championship game on March 9-10.

Weber State was picked to win the Big Sky by both the coaches and media in the conference's preseason polls, and it was gratifying for the Wildcats to live up to the lofty expectations.

"To go out and do it is another thing," said Weber State coach Randy Rahe. "It's hard to do when the bullseye is on your back every night. We've seen everybody's best effort, so you got to be on top of your game."

That's exactly where the Wildcats were on Saturday, as they thoroughly dominated the Bengals. Guard Nick Hansen led the effort with 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting from 3-point range. Steve Panos chipped in 14 points and six rebounds. Hansen and Panos were honored before the game on Senior Night.

"It's a really good feeling," said Panos, dubbed "The Greek God," according to a sign a fan was holding in the front row of the Dee Events Center. "I think we still have some work to do, but it feels good to have the clinch and know we're hosting."

Hansen, who had struggled with his shot for much of the season, is suddenly on fire. He's shot 13-for-17 from 3-point range in Weber State's last two games.

"The team has done a great job of getting me open shots," Hansen said. "We're always looking for the open guy and I've been fortunate enough to be that open guy. It's mostly because of the screens the bigs set and how dangerous our point guards and shooting guards are."

Two 11-0 scoring runs put the Wildcats in complete control before halftime. The first one gave Weber State an 18-9 lead. Panos hit a couple of shots and Hansen drained a 3-pointer to finish the spurt. The second put the Wildcats up 42-25, and was capped by a 3-pointer by Kyle Bullinger on a possession that saw Weber State unselfishly make about eight passes.

Weber State scored 42 points in the game's first 18 minutes, and put up the high total with leading scorer Damian Lillard held scoreless during the span. The Bengals, as Northern Colorado did last week, focused their attention on limiting Lillard's touches.