Damian Lillard scored 25 points for Weber State, including a pair of game-clinching free throws with three seconds to play, as the Wildcats beat Montana State 75-71 in Worthington Arena on Saturday.
Lillard's final points came after MSU's Marquis Navarre missed two free throws, the second on purpose, with the Bobcats trailing by two and 4.1 seconds remaining. The final sequence capped a wild comeback attempt by MSU, in which the Bobcats chopped into double-digit Weber State leads in each half without ever quite getting the game tied.
"We battled back a couple of times," said MSU coach Brad Huse. "We just couldn't get over the hump. We kept battling."
The game set up as a dazzling scoring duel between Weber State's Damian Lillard and Bobcat Bobby Howard from the beginning. Each player scored 13 points before halftime and a dozen after. Howard's hot-shooting opening period was the only factor keeping MSU alive early. Howard was 4-for-8 in the first half, the rest of the Bobcat team 6-for-21.
"Bobby competed so hard tonight," Huse said. "He works hard, he makes plays. He made plays when we needed them."
Howard's effort produced a season-high point total, and also nine rebounds and an assist. Navarre finished with 16 points, and Erik Rush 13. Franklin Session added 14 for the Wildcats.
Navarre's free throw struggles capped a difficult weekend from the line for the Bobcats. MSU shot 9-for-18 from the line in a three-point win over Idaho State on Friday, and finished 15-for-24 Saturday.
"You can point to a lot of things in a game like this, but when you miss free throws it hurts you," Huse said. "We haven't shot well in the last three or four games. We'll start making them."
Navarre struck a similar tone. "I've been shooting extra free throws pretty much every day," he said. "They feel good in practice, but when game time comes they're not going in.
"It eats me up inside," the senior guard finished. "I've got to go back to work and fix the problem."
MSU fell to 7-5 in Big Sky play with the loss, while Weber State stands at 9-2, a game-and-a-half ahead of second-place Northern Colorado as the Wildcats inch nearer to the Big Sky regular season title.
Montana State visits Eastern Washington on Friday and Portland State on Saturday next weekend.
