OGDEN — If there's one thing the Weber State Wildcats have proven so far this season, it's that they can fight.
The Wildcats have trailed at halftime in 12 of their 14 games, but have still managed to build a 2-0 record in the Big Sky and an 8-6 overall mark. Their toughness will come in handy tonight when they host a Montana team coming off a shocking road loss to Idaho State.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at the Dee Events Center, where the Wildcats will want to avoid another slow start. Montana built a strong resume in the preseason before its loss to Idaho State, beating teams such as Oregon, Boise State and Fresno State.
"We've proven so far that we can fight," said Weber State forward Kyle Bullinger. "We've gotten down but we've been able to fight back and get in a couple ballgames. The level of competition is pretty good in the conference this year. We're not going to be able to come out slow in the first half. That's something we need to focus on."
Weber State remained one of just two unbeaten teams in conference play after beating Montana State on New Year's Eve. The Wildcats ran their winning streak in Big Sky play to 14 games and have won seven of their last nine overall.
The conference winning streak is in danger against the Grizzlies, who despite an impressive overall record (10-5) and quality nonconference wins, have been inconsistent. They routed Northern Arizona in their Big Sky opener last month, and then lost by double digits to Northern Colorado two nights later. With two conference losses already, Montana is almost in a must-win situation against Weber State.
"They've had some great success in this league the last 5-6 years," Bullinger said. "Montana is always a strong basketball team. They've got a lot of talent up there, they're very well-coached. It's very important we play well against them."
Weber State is aiming to play better than it did in its ugly win over Montana State on Thursday. Both teams struggled to get into any rhythm or flow offensively, and they combined to miss 24 of their first 28 shots in the second half.
Wildcats coach Randy Rahe expects tonight's game to be easier on fans' eyes after Weber State and Montana each played on Thursday. But he'll take a win no matter how it looks.
"The conference is as good as it's been since I've been here," Rahe said. "It's going to be an absolute fistfight every night in conference. Good, bad, ugly — all you can do is move on to the next one and see where you're at in a couple of months."
e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com