Before Monday night’s road game against Weber State, the last time the Hornets started a game down 0-5 was less than a week ago in a blowout loss to Montana State.
The game looked as if history would repeat itself as the Hornets let go of the reins early, missing shots and failing to close out on Weber State’s shooters beyond the arc.
Weber State, still looking for their first Big Sky Conference win after seven straight losses, showed their hand early, eager to mount more pressure by building a 10-point lead.
By the time the Hornets scored their first points of the game, the Wildcats pushed the lead to 12-2 midway into the first quarter.
According to head coach Aaron Kallhoff, the Hornets faced a strenuous travel schedule that might have played a role in the shaky start.
“It’s not fair to a team to have to play on the road on a Thursday, Saturday, and Monday night,” Kallhoff said. “It just wasn’t good.”
Kallhoff made it a point not to make the travel schedule an excuse but reluctantly confessed the game was a manifestation of his biggest fears.
“My biggest fear is what happened today,” Kallhoff said. “We came out flat.”
Entering the second quarter down 19-8, Kallhoff was forced to relive his nightmare.
The Wildcats smothered the Hornets under the rim, opening the second quarter identical to the opening of the game.
“It was a lot of mental fatigue,” Kallhoff said. “We’re just tired.”
In the second half, the Hornets refused to let the fatigue define them.
With less than a minute to go in the third, the Hornets outrebounded the Wildcats 10-1 to slice a mountainous 16-point deficit.
Junior guard Natalie Picton became a focal point in the campaign, quickly becoming the center of attention for the Wildcats. Taking advantage of this, Picton headed to the top of the key, baiting the Wildcats to collapse in the second half.
They took the bait, leaving senior forward Fatoumata Jaiteh wide open under the rim, who Picton was able to find for an easy layup.
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Picton, who scored 22 points on 9-for-17 field goal shooting and 50% from beyond the arc, led the team in scoring. She tied Jaiteh in rebounds with five.
As leads flickered throughout the fourth quarter, fouls began to riddle the Hornets, impacting the involvement of key players.
Redshirt senior guard Benthe Versteeg accounted for three steals but fouled out late, along with Jaiteh and redshirt freshman guard Jaety Mandaquit.
“It’s stuff that we’re breaking off from the players,” Kallhoff said. “A lot of [the fouls] are unforced.”
The three were forced to watch the Wildcats reclaim the lead from the sideline, witnessing the gaps starting to form in the Hornets’ defense.
The Wildcats riddled the Hornets with threes and layups, ultimately finishing the game with a 72-64 win and taking down the Hornets for their first in-conference win.
The Hornets remain on the road for their fourth straight game, facing off against Portland State on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m.
“I’m just really disappointed,” Kallhoff said. “We gotta get ourselves back on track. We need consistent basketball.”
