Just minutes had passed since the opening tip, the roars echoed all around.
Junior Michael Rataj, one of the Beavers leaders, pinned a Weber State layup attempt on the backboard, then ran down and scored the first field goal of the game in the Beavers 76-48 win against the Weber State Wildcats Friday night in Gill Coliseum.
In a game where the Beavers never trailed, they shared the ball, with four Beavs reaching double-digit scoring and Michael Rataj securing a career-high in rebounds, 13.
“We had to win the battle of the boards,” assistant coach Chris Haslam said. “They are too talented to give them extra scoring opportunities, extra possessions, we did a phenomenal job winning the battle of the boards.”
The Beavers’ leading scorer was a tie between Nate Kingz and Parsa Fallah, an incoming transfer from Southern Utah, who had 16.
“Nate Kingz sparked us with a couple of big threes in that second half, Parsa (Fallah), opposed his will inside, but everyone who stepped on the court, tremendous energy,” Haslam said.
Fallah continued to assert his dominance on the team, using a plethora of moves to get his buckets.
“Maybe too many at times,” Haslam said. “He is a load down there. He likes physicality, he wants to hit first, like we say be the hammer, not the nail. He has done a great job carving out space, he is a tough matchup and our guys have done a great job getting him the ball.”
Demarco ‘Polo’ Minor struggled in the game, finishing with just three points on 1/11 shooting after scoring 23 in his debut. He was still able to contribute, dishing out eight assists and securing six rebounds to go with a steal and a block.
The Wildcats were led by Blaise Threatt, who had 14 points and four steals getting all his points from inside the arc.
The Beavers were great in transition, scoring 20 points off of Wildcat turnovers, and outscored Weber State 38-16 in points in the paint.
“The points in transition and off turnovers, I think that helped me and other guys get going, it was great for us to know that we could get steals and get it out and go and share the ball in transition,” Josiah Lake II said.
The Beavers continue their home stand when they face off against the Western Oregon Wolves on Tuesday, at 8 pm at Gill Coliseum.
