Ogden, UT – Weber State continued its early-season dominance with an 80-69 win over Portland State at Dee Events Center. The Wildcats are a perfect 8-0 and have started the Big Sky Conference season at 2-0.
 
Portland State took the loss, but split on its road trip to Idaho State and Weber State. The Vikings are now 3-4, 1-1.
 
Michael Carter III led four Vikings in double figures with a season-high 14 points. He added three rebounds and three assists. Marlon Ruffin scored 11 points. James Jean-Marie racked up his sixth double-double in seven games with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Ezekiel Alley came off the bench for 10 points and three assists.
 
Seikou Sisoho Jawara had 17 points to lead four Wildcats in double figures. He hit 5-10 three-pointers in the game. Dillon Jones scored 12 points with a game-high 14 rebounds and four assists.
 
Weber State brought a strong resume to the game, including a 67-44 win over Northern Arizona in their Big Sky opener on Thursday. The Wildcats didn't miss a step in this contest, taking the early lead on PSU. The Vikings trailed 23-19 midway through the half before the Wildcats outscored then 18-10 over the final 10 minutes.
 
Jawara did the most damage for Weber State, hitting 4-6 three-pointers and scoring 14 points by halftime. The Wildcats held a 41-29 advantage after 20 minutes.
 
Ian Burke had eight points for the Vikings at halftime, including a pair of three-pointers. However, eight PSU turnovers led to a dozen Weber State points. The Wildcats shot .483 from the field in the half to .310 for the Vikings.
 
Weber State grew the lead to 57-39 in the second half. Three-pointers by Paris Dawson and Khalid Thomas helped the Vikings trim it back to just a dozen with 11 minutes left in the game.
 
A conventional three-point play by Ruffin at the 6:20 mark got the Vikings within 10 at 69-59. It was still 10 at 71-61 when Jean-Marie dunked with 2:24 to play. Then Jawara answered with another three-pointer and the Wildcats had the space they needed for the win.
 
WSU finished 27-65 from the field (.415) to 24-63 for the Vikings (.381). The Wildcats had a 41-37 edge on the backboards.
 

GAME NOTES

• PSU had won the last two times it played Weber State at Dee Events Center, but are only 4-26 all-time in Big Sky games played there.
• Portland State returns to non-conference play over the next three weeks. The Vikings will host Cal Poly on Dec. 11 at Viking Pavilion.