FARMINGTON, Utah (November 29, 2021) -- The first weekend of Big Sky men's basketball conference play is officially in the books, with a trio of teams starting their league slates 2-0. Below is a breakdown of all 11 team's weekend, listed in order of the Big Sky standings.
Weber State (8-0, 2-0 BSC)
Portland State Recap |
Northern Arizona Recap
Just one of 12 undefeated teams left in NCAA Division I men's basketball, the Weber State Wildcats continued their winning streak by knocking off both Portland State and Northern Arizona at home. They squared off against NAU first on Thursday, where they won 67-44 despite putting up their second-lowest scoring total to this point of the season. On Saturday, they returned to their home floor to knock off Portland State 80-69. WSU's Koby McEwen is the leading scorer for the squad, averaging 16.8 ppg to this point of the year. The Wildcats will be their winning streak on the line this Wednesday evening, as they travel to Pullman to play Washington State on the Pac-12 Networks.
Southern Utah (5-3, 2-0 BSC)
Eastern Washington Recap |
Idaho Recap
Securing victories over both Eastern Washington and Idaho on the road, Southern Utah moved to 2-0 in Big Sky play and 5-3 overall. They started their road swing with an 89-76 victory over EWU, before heading to Moscow and knocking off the Vandals 81-75. The Thunderbirds, who were tabbed the preseason league favorites, have been led in scoring by John Knight III, who is averaging 18.3 points per game so far this season to rank third in the league.
Northern Colorado (5-5, 2-0 BSC)
Montana State Recap |
Montana Recap
Jumping out to a 2-0 start this season, the Bears of Northern Colorado had a lot of success as they played host to Montana State and Montana. UNC topped MSU in a contest that went to overtime 77-75 on Thursday, before knocking off UM in another close game 78-75. The Bears are now .500 on the season. Daylen Kountz has been stuffing the stat sheet for the Bears, averaging a second-best 18.4 ppg and leading the Big Sky in total points with 184. Kountz was named Big Sky Player of the Week following the first full week of the regular season.
Montana (5-4, 1-1 BSC)
Sacramento State Recap |
Northern Colorado Recap
Splitting their opening road trip in Big Sky play, the Montana Grizzlies moved to 5-4 on the season over the weekend. In their first of two games they knocked off Sacramento State in California 65-58, before falling to Northern Colorado 78-75 on the second leg of trip. The Griz are currently led in scoring by Josh Bannan, who is dropping in 12.0 ppg.
Montana State (5-4, 1-1 BSC)
Northern Colorado Recap |
Sacramento State Recap
Much like their in-state rival, the Bobcats of Montana State split their road swing by falling to Northern Colorado before knocking off Sacramento State. They were able to top the Hornets 68-66. The Bobcats are paced offensively by Jubrile Belo, who averages 14.9 ppg.
Northern Arizona (4-5, 1-1 BSC)
Weber State Recap |
Idaho State Recap
Opening their Big Sky slate on the road, Northern Arizona went 1-1 with a loss to Weber State before knocking off Idaho State 73-70. Transfer Jalen Cone leads the Lumberjacks in scoring currently, dropping in 15.7 ppg on average.
Portland State (3-4, 1-1 BSC)
Idaho State Recap |
Weber State Recap
Picking up a win over Idaho State, Portland State's Jase Coburn earned his first Big Sky victory as a head coach 63-55. The effort was highlighted by a double-double from James Jean-Marie, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds. When the trip continued in Ogden, the Vikings fell 89-69.
Eastern Washington (4-4, 0-1 BSC)
Southern Utah Recap |
Nebraska-Omaha Recap
Playing one conference game and one non-conference game this past weekend, Eastern Washington went 1-1 with a win over Nebraska-Omaha and a loss to Southern Utah. EWU currently has the top scorer in the Big Sky Conference by average, as Steele Venters leads the league with a 19.1 points per game average.
Idaho (1-7, 0-1 BSC)
Southern Utah Recap
Like Eastern Washington, the Vandals of Idaho also only played one Big Sky game this week, as they fell to Southern Utah 81-75. To this point the Vandals have been led offensively by Trevante Anderson (14.5 ppg) and Mikey Dixon (14.4 ppg) who both rank in the top-10 in terms of league scoring average.
Sacramento State (3-5, 0-2 BSC)
Montana Recap |
Montana State Recap
Hosting both Montana schools, the Hornets of Sacramento State fell to 0-2 in Big Sky play after dropping both contests. Bryce Fowler has had a great start to the campaign, however, as he's averaging 17.5 ppg to put him fourth in the league.
Idaho State (1-7, 0-2 BSC)
Portland State Recap |
Northern Arizona Recap
Dropping a pair of league matchups at home, the Bengals of Idaho state moved to 1-7 on the year this past weekend by falling to Portland State and Northern Arizona. Tarik Cool has been a bright spot scoring wise for ISU, averaging 11.9 ppg.
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