OGDEN -- Boise State and Weber State may be in different conferences now, but one thing remains the same.
The Broncos can't win in Ogden.Weber State's Andy Jensen, left, and Noel Jackson struggle with Boise State's Richard Morgan over the ball Tuesday night. Weber State won 69-61.Johanna Workman, Associated Press
The Wildcats beat BSU for the fifth straight time in the Dee Events Center in a 69-61 decision that saw WSU finally figure out that defense goes along with offense in the game of basketball.
For the first time since opening the season at Southern Utah, the Wildcats held an opponent to sub-50 percent shooting in a half. With the home victory, Weber State improved to 3-1 on the young season.
"We're starting to bring the defense into it," Wildcat coach Ron Abegglen said after admitting to spending most of his practice time getting his team used to his offensive sets. "I think we just needed to play harder."
Harold Arceneaux and Eddie Gill, a pair of JC all-American transfers, took it to the Big West's Broncos, ending BSU's perfect start to its season and leaving the visitors with a 4-1 record.
Arceneaux scored a game-high 26 points, as the 6-foot-6 forward hit 9-of-11 shots, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked four shots and made three steals. Gill scored only 14 points, but 11 came in a key 3-minute rally when Weber State grabbed the lead over Boise State.
"You saw a little bit of his talent," Abegglen said of Arceneaux, who still is not 100 percent after spraining an ankle in the preseason. "Harold has been really good for us offensively. He needs to run the floor better and hit the boards more, but he's definitely a scorer."
One certainty Tuesday night -- he was the best player on the floor. A pair of NBA scouts were on hand to check out BSU's high-flying, high-scoring forward Roberto Bergersen, but it was Arceneaux who had the hot hand.
Bergersen came into the game averaging nearly 23 points a game. He fouled out with five minutes to play after scoring just 12 points and grabbing zip off the glass.
"I don't care about who gets the all-American stuff," Arceneaux said. "I just go out and play to win."
Without Arceneaux, the Wildcats probably wouldn't even have been in the game, especially in the first half. WSU trailed 33-26 at halftime, and it would have had it worse if not for 15 points from Arceneaux.
Still, Boise State had the Wildcats on the ropes midway through the second half with a 46-44 lead.
That's when Gill took over.
The WSU point guard hit a spinning reverse layup, followed that with a baseline three-pointer. He nailed another trey before spinning a pass to a cutting Damien Baskerville for a layup. He capped his 3-minute scoring binge with another 3-point bomb that left the Wildcats with a 57-51 lead with eight minutes to play.
"Once I hit that second one," Gill said, "I was just looking for it. I got behind the zone and I think they just forgot about me."
And while the offensive displays were nice, the Wildcats were most happy about beating a quality opponent with defense.
"We don't want to be known as a team that can score but can't play defense," Gill said. "Basically, our pressure defense was what did it for us."