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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
OGDEN, Utah (AP) -- As far as Utah coach Rick Majerus is concerned, Eddie "The Thrill" Gill and Harold "The Show" Arceneaux are ready for the NBA.
Gill, a savvy and speedy point guard, scored a career-high 25
points and Arceneaux, scoreless in the first half, added 15 as
Weber State beat Utah 84-72 Wednesday night.
"Gill and Arceneaux are obviously very, very good," Majerus
said. "They looked like All-Americans and first-round lotto picks
tonight."
Even if Gill and Arceneaux impressed 10 NBA scouts who attended,
there's other business first. They hope to take Weber State (3-1)
back to the NCAA tournament, where the Wildcats upset North
Carolina 76-74 last spring.
Beating Utah (No. 19 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 Associated Press) was a good start.
"It was a big game for us," Gill said. "They're a top 20 team
and an in-state team. We were just fighting for respect. Everyone on
our team gave a great effort, and I think that's what got us a
little respect."
First-year Weber State coach Joe Cravens isn't thinking about
next March. He's concerned about Saturday's game at Boise State.
"You come to certain games where your team can go one way or
another," he said. "I didn't think this was one of them, but now
Boise State is another story. We can't get drunk with emotion and
take a step backward."
Cravens, an assistant to Majerus at Utah from 1989-93, beat his
old boss as the Wildcats extended their homecourt winning streak to
26 games and ended a four-game losing streak to the Utes (2-2).
"It was a huge win for us, but people have put more into me
playing Utah and me playing Majerus," Cravens said. "That had
absolutely nothing to do with it. I don't care if Hootie Kazootie
is working over there."
It was a tale of two halves for Weber State and Arceneaux, who
spent 14 minutes in the first half on the bench with two fouls.
Weber State trailed 31-25 at halftime but left the locker room
determined. Arceneaux drove for a basket 18 seconds into the second
half and from that moment the Wildcats and their excited fans
continued to build momentum.
"I was kind of frustrated about the first half," said
Arceneaux, who had 36 points in the NCAA win over North Carolina.
"I knew I had to come out relaxed, and I felt better going in the
second half."
Weber State opened with a 14-6 run and took the lead for good at
38-37 on a 3-pointer by Shawn Moore with 16:43 remaining.
Alex Jensen, who played two minutes in the first half after
collecting two fouls, led Utah with 15 points. The Utes had 17
turnovers and let Weber State's athleticism make it a fullcourt
game in the second half.
"A player like Arceneaux, you can't let him get off, especially
when we're on the road," Jensen said. "In the second half, he got
off and their whole offense got off early. They started feeling it
and didn't look back."
Gill played hard for 40 minutes, scrambling for loose balls and
holding his team together when Arceneaux was out. Fans chanted
"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie" after his baskets, but Gill also had 10
rebounds and eight assists.
"Eddie is like that every minute of every practice," Cravens
said.
Gill and Arceneaux shared a highlight-reel play with 2:08
remaining. Gill lobbed a fast-break pass from halfcourt for
Arceneaux, who caught it in the lane, floated past a defender and
flipped in a reverse layup for a 76-60 lead.
"That was a real energy booster right there," Gill said.
Arceneaux, who shot 1-for-13 in a season-opening loss at
Alabama, was hesitant with the ball in the first half but found his
stroke in the second. He was 7-of-10 from the floor after missing
his only shot of the first half.
Weber State shot 23 percent (7-of-30) before the break and 72
percent (21-of-29) in the second half.
"I probably stymied our offense in the first half by going to
too many sets," Cravens said. "I tried some other things to open
it up in the second half and kind of spread the floor."
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Utah Clubhouse
Weber State Clubhouse
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