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Show Sports MONDAY MARCH 5 2012 WSU goes 0 16 in conference Wildcats hurt by injuries, fall to MSU 84-55 in last game By Michael Grennell sports reporter I The Signpost PHOTO BY BRYAN BUTTERFIELD I THE SIGNPOST Weber State University's Mikell Woodfield puts up a shot against Montana State University over the weekend. WSU fell to the Bobcats in their 16th conference loss and 19th-straight loss of the season. The Weber State University women's basketball team saw its season come to a close on Saturday afternoon, as it lost to the visiting Montana State University Bobcats 84-55 on Senior Night. MSU scored the first points of the game and took a 2-0 lead, but WSU turned around and scored three consecutive 3-point baskets to make it 9-2 five minutes into the game. MSU and WSU kept the score close throughout the first half, as the score was tied twice and there were six lead changes. Despite the Wildcats outshooting the Bobcats for the majority of the half, WSU went into the locker rooms at halftime trailing by three. At the start of the second half, WSU began to have trouble with its shooting, as the Wildcats were only able to make one shot out of 16 attempts over the first eight minutes of the half. MSU took advantage of the Wildcats' slump and took a 15-point lead over WSU. Late in the game, WSU began to chip away at MSU's lead, but Lillard named Big Sky MVP Bamforth, Tresnak also receive conference honors at end of year See MVP page 7 See Basketball page 7 WSU seniors say goodbye Three players from the women's basketball team play final game By Nathan Davis sports editor I The Signpost Weber State University's Damian Lillard was named the Big Sky Conference MVP for the second time in his career on Thursday. Lillard is only the fourth player in Big Sky history to receive the honor twice. He is the second player from WSU to be named MVP twice. The first was Harold Arceneaux. The first time Lillard was named MVP was following his sophomore season in 2010. Lillard missed much of last season with an injury. He said that winning the award after coming back from an injury makes the award even more special. "It shows hard work pays off," Lillard said. "It means a lot to me to be able to bounce back from an injury to being MVP again." He said he is pleased to have won the award, but thar his team played an important part in his receiving the MVP. "It's a team award," Lillard said, "because if we hadn't had the success we had as a team, then it wouldn't have been possible." Lillard led the nation in scoring for most of the season and currently is second in the country with an average of 24.5 points per game, the best singleseason average in WSU history. This season, he has been named a finalist for the John Wooden and Oscar Robertson Player of the Year awards. He is also a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, which recognizes the nation's top point guard, and for the Lou Henson Award, the Mid-Major Player of the Year. Lillard has appeared in 99 career games for the Wildcats and has started 94 games. He has scored in double figures in the Bobcats managed to stave off the Wildcats, as WSU lost 84-55. With the loss to MSU, WSU became the first women's basketball team to go a season without a conference win since the Sacramento State University Hornets during the 2001-02 season. Seniors Caela Mohre and Mikell Woodfield both had strong performances in their final game for WSU. Mohre finished the game with 11 points, seven rebounds and a teamhigh four assists. After the game, Mohre was upbeat despite the loss, saying that even when the team was down, they were still having fun. "We had fun. We had energy," Mohre said. "It was a good game to go out on." Woodfield finished her career on a high note, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for her second career double-double. She said the team struggled in the second half and couldn't bounce back. "We fought hard; we just couldn't get it done in the second half." Despite the loss, Woodfield was still positive, saying she By Michael Grennell sports reporter I The Signpost PHOTO BY BRYAN BUTTERFIELD I THE SIGNPOST Weber State University's Damian Lillard puts up a shot during a game earlier this season. Lillard was named the Big Sky Conference MVP for the second time in his career. Saturday afternoon was the final game of the season for the Weber State University women's basketball team. It was also the final game of the careers of seniors Caela Mohre, Mikell Woodfield and Karlee Weight. Mohre came to WSU in 2007 from Edon Northwest High School in Blakeslee, Ohio. After sitting out the season as a redshirt, Mohre played in 27 games during the 2008-09 season as a redshirt freshman. She averaged just less than eight minutes per game while averaging two points per game. The following year, she played in every game off of the bench, averaging more than three points and an assist per game in 29 games. Her junior year saw her start eight games and average more than seven points and three assists per game. Unfortunately, after suffering a stress fracture in her foot, she ended up missing the remainder of the season. This season saw Mohre come back unhindered by her injury, as she started 23 games for the Wildcats, averaging a team-high 31 minutes played per game. Mohre also led the team in assists with 93 and turnovers with 90, while also making 32 3-point field goals, secondmost on the team. Mohre finished her career with 428 points in 91 games. One of her favorite moments Mohre remembers from her career came last season during the Air Force tournament in Colorado Springs. Mohre said she will always remember hitting the game-winning shot in the 51-49 win over Bryant University. Mohre, who recieved her degree in criminal justice, said one of the best things from her career at WSU is the See Seniors page 7 |