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Show J .-LSpoirtts is w ' X I I Wildcats enjoying comforts of home BRIAN NICHOLSONTHE SIGNPOST ...and the home of the brave Weber State's Justin Niesen extends for a pass from teammate Ruben Nembhard in the first half of the Wildcats' 94-85 win over Southern Utah University Tuesday night in the Dee Events Center. With the win, Weber State improves its home record to 4-0 on the year. By Chris Peterson Signpost senior reporter Home Sweet Home. After two tough road losses to Wyoming and Purdue, the Weber State University men's basketball team came home to the Dee Events Center Tuesday night. The return home proved to be helpful, as they picked up a much needed win, 94-85, over the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds. "We definitely had the home court advantage tonight. With the enthusiastic crowd behind us, it helped us play well," Kirk Smith said. The first half featured intense play by both teams. Both offenses were in high gear, as the two teams combined for 20 3-point attempts in the first half alone. WSU started the scoring out on a Ruben Nembhard three in the first minute of play. The Wildcats then jumped out to a 9-1 lead, before the Thunderbirds got four 3-pointers of their own to close to within 22-21. SUU took their first lead of the game, 26-25, on David Richards layup with 9:31 left in the first half. The two clubs looked evenly matched, as the first half alone had four ties and four lead changes. The game was tied 33-33 before the Wildcats ended the first half with a 12-6 run, to take a 44-39 halftime lead. "After the first half, coach got on us a little to guard them closer. He wanted us to help each other out on defense, and box out a little more," Smith said. WSU dominated the boards in the opening half by out rebounding the Thunderbirds 27-11. Jeff Lentfer pulled down 8 for the 'Cats. Jimmy DeGraffenried had the hot hand in the first 20 minutes with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Ruben Nembhard also had 11 first-half points. SUU came out strong to start the second half of play, exploding for a 10-4 run to take their only lead of the second half at 49-48. With the game's seventh tie, 52-52, the Wildcats broke it open with a 15-5 run, capped off by Kirk Smith's lay-in at 11:12, to go up 67-57. In their last two losses, tentative play has plagued WSU. Tonight was a different story. "Coach just wanted us to stay focused and intense. If we did that, we knew we would win," Smith said. SUU closed to within five at 81-76 with four and a half minutes to play, but WSU would then go on a 12-4 run over the next three and a half minutes, to give the 'Cats their largest lead at 93-80. WSU's Gardner plows Rams By Gary Hinds Signpost asst. sports editor Tuesday night in the first half of a women'smen's basketball double-header at the Dee Events Center, the Weber State University women'sbasketball team moved to 3-0 against Western Athletic Conference foes. The WSU women used 6-of-8 3-point shooting in the second half to turn a seven-point halftime advantage over Colorado Slate University into a 90-68 rout. "We're supposed to be a top W AC team, and they just gave us a clinic," CSU head coach Greg Williams said. Williams' team stayed close early, using a full-court pressure defense, but a balanced attack in the first half put the Wildcats on top 37-30 at the break. WSU head coach Carla Taylor said the key to defeating the pressure defense was lier team's ability to stay calm. "Our players kept their heads, kept their composure and we were able to bring the hall down against the press and get into our transition offense," Taylor said. WSU got eight first-half points from post pl.iver Mika Brown, and forward Shelley IVrg added seven points. Point guard Teresa Martin chipped in six points in the first half, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key to break a 30-30 tie with 2:51 to play in the half. In the second half, guard Rachelle Gardner exploded for 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Taylor said Gardner's enthusiasm also gave the Wildcats a boost. "Rachelle is kind of a vocal leader on the floor," Taylor said. "She's the type that's going to get the team fired up." Gardner finished the game with 23 points to lead all scorers. Brown added 18 points and seven rebounds, while forward Jodi Wimmer contributed 11 points and nine rebounds. The Lady 'Cats, now 9-2 on the year, have already eclipsed last season's total of seven wins. Williams commented on the improvement over last year's team. "(Coach Taylor) has done a great job with this team," he said. "I'm very impressed with the turn around that she and her staff have orchestrated here. They just tore us apart." See Plow page 10 ' ' ' "UP I AS r. ' t V . Vi f- 3 f BRIAN NICHOLSOrj'TME SIGNPOST WSU's Jodi Wimmer battles for a loose ball in the Lady 'Cats rout of CSU. |