Raashad Hooks led the team with 19 points. |
OGDEN, Utah --- Slobodan Ocokoljic scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Jermaine Boyette added 20 points to lead top-seeded Weber State to an 82-60 victory over Sacramento State Tuesday evening in a Big Sky Conference Tournament semifinal.The win improved the Wildcats to 25-5 overall and gave the team its 16th-straight victory. The Hornets ended their season at 12-17.
The two teams battled through the opening minutes of the first half until Sacramento State was able to break a 10-10 tie by going on a 6-0 run. During the stretch, the Hornets received a three-pointers from Raashad Hooks and Derek Lambeth to take a 16-10 lead. From that point, WSU answered with a 9-2 run and never trailed for the remainder of the game.
Sacramento State was able to cut the lead to four, 31-27, after Hooks made a pair of free throws with 1:04 left in the first half. The team had an opportunity to trim its deficit even further with just seconds remaining in the period, but an errant pass was intercepted leading to an Ocokoljic three a the buzzer to give the Wildcats a 34-27 edge.
The second half was controlled by Weber State. The Wildcats scored 48 points on 17-of-30 shooting. The team also got to the free-throw line 16 times, making 13. Conversely, the Hornets were just 5-of-11 at the line in the same period and 14-of-27 from the field. The team actually shot quite well from inside the arc, converting 14-of-16 two-pointers. However, the Hornets were 0-for-11 from three-point range.
Hooks recorded 19 points to lead Sacramento State. The San Jose, Calif., native was 6-of-12 from the field, including three three-pointers. Jimmy White added 13 points and tied for the team lead with five rebounds. Derek Lambeth, who had scored over 20 points in each of the last three games, was held to seven points.
Ocokoljic ended the game 9-of-14 overall and 4-of-4 at the line. The junior, who transferred from Ohio State, has now recorded a double-double in all three meetings against the Hornets this season. Boyette, the Big Sky MVP, was 9-of-14 overall and 9-of-12 from the charity stripe.
Weber State will face Eastern Washington in the Big Sky Tournament championship game. The contest will be played on Wednesday, March 12, and will be aired on ESPN2. The winner of the game will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
---30---
