This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ogden • This is an important season for Weber State guard Jordan Richardson, a junior who spent the last two years playing as Damian Lillard's backup.
So far, the native of Lewisville, Texas, has made the most of his opportunities.
"I learned a lot from Damian," Richardson said moments after WSU lapped the University of the Southwest 110-45 Saturday night in the Dee Events Center. "Two years behind an NBA player, you can't help but learn something."
As for Saturday night's game, Weber State enjoyed its Christmas present during a break in its Big Sky Conference schedule. Wildcat coach Randy Rahe wasn't about to apologize.
"It was a good game for our team," he said. "Our schedule is tough enough. We're OK playing this game once in a while.
"First of all, this game did want we wanted it to do. We scheduled a non-Division-I game to try to get some rhythm back with our team."
What became a glorified scrimmage against the tiny and overwhelmed NAIA school of 630 students allowed the Wildcat starters to pad their stats while giving the end of the bench some playing time.
Every player but Kyle Tresnak, sitting out with a slightly tweaked ankle, scored as WSU enjoyed its largest-ever margin of victory.
It also afforded Scott Bamforth and Richardson a bonding opportunity. And they responded accordingly, as Bamforth torched the nets for 18 points while Richardson increased his league-leading assist-to-turnover ration.
The game stopped being a contest five minutes after tipoff, when WSU went on an 18-0 run to increase its lead from 13-10 to 31-10.
The Wildcats (7-3) shot 70 percent from the floor and outrebounded USW (3-8) by 25. Five Wildcats scored in double figures, including 17 by Royce Williams, who had played just 98 minutes prior to Saturday.
Richardson, the top 3-point shooter by percentage in the Big Sky, managed seven points, but more importantly, he turned the ball over only once while dishing four assists. For the season, the 6-foot-1 guard has 33 assists and 10 turnovers.
"Jordan has really taken to what we've asked him to do — be a point guard," Rahe said. "We gave him some responsibilities: 'You're going to the best defender out there; you're going to have a high assist, low turnover rate; your whole thing on offense is to try and get someone else a shot and then, if you happen to become open, shoot it in.' "
Twitter: @tribmarty —
Weber State 110,Southwest 45
SOUTHWEST (3-8) • Thompson 2-10 2-2 7, Ortegon 2-4 0-0 4, Quintero 0-3 0-0 0, Russell 0-3 0-0 0, Rivas 3-12 3-3 12, Smith-Rodriguez 4-4 0-0 8, Vicencio 0-3 0-0 0, Aguilar 2-7 0-0 6, Snyder 0-1 0-0 0, Dobbins 0-4 0-0 0, McKnight 4-8 0-0 8. Totals 17-59 5-5 45.
WEBER ST. (7-3) • Otis 3-3 0-2 6, Berry 6-7 1-1 15, Hajek 2-4 4-8 8, Bamforth 7-11 0-0 18, Richardson 3-5 0-0 7, Wheelwright 5-9 0-0 12, Bradford 3-6 0-0 6, Bolomboy 8-8 0-0 16, Fulton 2-5 0-0 5, Williams 7-8 1-2 17. Totals 46-66 6-13 110.
Halftime—Weber St. 58-20. 3-Point Goals—Southwest 6-26 (Rivas 3-11, Aguilar 2-7, Thompson 1-3, Snyder 0-1, McKnight 0-1, Vicencio 0-1, Dobbins 0-2), Weber St. 12-22 (Bamforth 4-8, Berry 2-2, Williams 2-2, Wheelwright 2-4, Richardson 1-2, Fulton 1-3, Bradford 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Southwest 19 (Aguilar, Quintero, Thompson 3), Weber St. 44 (Williams 9). Assists—Southwest 10 (Dobbins 3), Weber St. 22 (Richardson, Williams 4). Total Fouls—Southwest 12, Weber St. 8. A—5,822.