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Ogden • Weber State played without No. 1 point guard and leading scorer Jeremy Senglin on Saturday night.
It showed.
Quinton Upshur scored 20 points, and Kris Yanku added 17 to lead Northern Arizona to a 61-54 Big Sky Conference victory over the Wildcats at the Dee Events Center.
Despite the loss, coach Randy Rahe was happy with the way Weber State responded to the loss of Senglin and how the 'Cats fought back after trailing by 12 points with 11 minutes left.
"I couldn't be more proud of our team," Rahe said. "… Our energy, how hard we played, how together we were. I was extremely pleased with the effort. We have ourselves a chance to win. We couldn't quite get over the hump."
Even though the Wildcats slipped to 10-14 overall and 5-8 in the Big Sky, Rahe looked forward to their final five regular-season games because of the performance against Northern Arizona.
"To me," he said, "that's what a Weber State basketball team looks like. … I thought our defense was outstanding. We were tough. We were physical. Now we have to build on it and get better as we go."
Senglin, who averages 16 points and shoots 42 percent on 3-pointers, suffered a broken jaw in Thursday night's 65-56 loss to Southern Utah.
In his absence, Weber State went 0 for 10 from the 3-point line, although junior forward Joel Bolomboy stepped up. He finished with 23 points and 17 rebounds — both season-highs.
"Coming into the game, we knew each and every one of us had to pick it up a little," Bolomboy said. "That's what we tried to do."
Said Rahe: "I thought Joel had a great, great mindset tonight … He was an absolute monster. He played with a clear mind and whole bunch of energy. When he does that, that's the kind of player he is."
In the first half, Weber State missed 12 of its 16 field-goal attempts, committed nine turnovers and ended up trailing, 24-15. It was 39-27 before the Wildcats used a 14-2 run to get back in the game.
"Just confidence," Bolomboy said. "We got the momentum going our way and never stopped fighting. We never gave up."
Weber State's comeback might have resulted in a victory, except Upshur snapped a 47-47 tie with 2:25 remaining when he buried a long 3-point shot.
"When he took it," Rahe said, "I was OK with it. I wish he wouldn't have made it, but that was a deep 3."
On the other end, Weber State's Richaud Gittens was called for an offensive foul. Then, the Wildcats fouled Upshur on a 3-point shot. He made three straight free throws with two minutes left to put the Lumberjacks in control.
"If we had gotten the lead," Rahe said, "I think we might have found a way to win."
Twitter: @sluhm —
Storylines
R Quinton Upshur scores 20 points to lead Northern Arizona.
• Junior forward Joel Bolomboy finishes with 23 points and 17 rebounds for the Wildcats.
• Weber State falls to 10-14 overall and 5-8 in the Big Sky Conference.