Weber State basketball: Wildcats dominate in first game without MVP Lillard

OGDEN — Life without Damian Lillard started on a positive note for Weber State.

The Wildcats lost Lillard, the Big Sky Conference MVP a year ago, for the remainder of the season after he broke his right foot against Tulsa on Thursday night. For one game at least, the junior guard's absence did not prove to be a stumbling block.

Weber State overwhelmed the University of the Southwest on both ends of the court from the opening tip and cruised to a 94-54 victory at the Dee Events Center on Saturday night.

Five different players reached double figures for the Wildcats — led by Kyle Tresnak with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Weber State coach Randy Rahe said similar efforts need to be forthcoming down the road for his team to be successful without Lillard.

"That's how we've got to run our offense," Rahe said. "We're going to have to share the ball well. We're going to have to get the ball to the open guy. And I think this team will do that. I think we'll become a really balanced team."

A strong start on the defensive end helped the Wildcats ensure that their NAIA opponent did not hang around long enough to pose any sort of upset threat.

Weber State held the Mustangs without a field goal for the first six minutes of the first half. Meanwhile, the Wildcats jumped out to a 15-4 lead before Southwest finally broke its dry spell on a three-point play from Reggie Matthews with 13:57 left in the half.

The Mustangs did not get a chance to make up more ground. Weber State used an 18-4 run to blow the game open and Byron Fulton capped the spurt with a layup that made it 33-11 with 10:32 remaining before halftime.

"We really rose up to the adversity," Tresnak said. "We just all knew we had to pick it up and just play hard regardless of who we're playing."

A 16-0 outburst helped the Wildcats push Southwest into an even deeper hole. Scott Bamforth scored three consecutive baskets — including a pair of 3-pointers — to fuel the run and B.J. Porter finished it off with his own 3-pointer to make it 51-14 with 4:23 to go in the half.

Weber State made 54.8 percent of its first-half field goal attempts and limited Southwest to just 26.9 percent shooting from the field.

It is a promising beginning for the Wildcats as they now must navigate the remainder of a season without a player like Lillard who was expected to put them in contention for a conference title. Senior guard Lindsey Hughey said Weber State has not lost focus on the goals still ahead of the team — even in the face of adversity.

"It's tough playing without a leader," Hughey said. "But we all know we still can play. We wanted to show people we can play. The season is not over just because Damian is done. We've still got the same goals."