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Ogden • Weber State entered Saturday night's game against Portland State as the worst 3-point shooting team in the Big Sky Conference.

The Vikings probably don't believe it.

Weber went 9-for-20 from the 3-point line — despite missing its final two attempts — and rolled to a 79-62 victory over Portland State at the Dee Events Center.

Davion Berry scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half and Jordon Richardson made a season-high four 3-point shots to lead the Wildcats.

"I'm really pleased with our guys," said Weber State coach Randy Rahe. "… Slowly, we're getting better. In the second half, offensively, we got a good rhythm going."

Weber State entered the game shooting only 31.4 percent from the 3-point line. Richardson, a senior from Lewisville, Texas, had managed to make only 10 of his 39 3-point attempts.

That all changed against Portland State, despite Rahe purposely not talking to his players about their 3-point shooting woes before the game.

"I haven't said a word about it," he explained. … It's like free-throw shooting. You don't [yell] at guys for missing free throws because then they get tight and miss more."

Richardson, a starter in the first eight games of the season, came off the bench for the second straight time against Portland State.

He made an immediate impact.

The Wildcats trailed, 5-4, with 14 minutes left in the first half when Richardson made three-pointers on three consecutive possessions. He triggered a 13-2 run that gave Weber a 17-7 lead.

"I just came in and tried to contribute any way I could," Richardson said. "… I was fortunate to hit some shots tonight — finally."

Rahe praised Richardson for taking his new role to heart and giving the Wildcats a lift as a non-starter.

"Jordon has done a great job," his coach said. "I told him, 'This is for you. This is not a penalty. Sometimes it's good to sit and watch the game awhile.' …

"To his credit, he never sulked. He's shown a lot of character. He's a great teammate because he worries about what's best for the team."

Weber State owned a 36-27 halftime lead despite the fact Berry, its leading scorer, had only five points on 1-for-5 shooting.

The Wildcats never lost their lead, but was 52-47 with nine minutes left before freshman Jeremy Senglin buried a 3-pointer, made a steal and converted a three-point play. He triggered an 18-3 run that included seven points by Berry.

"I just stayed aggressive," said Berry. "The coaches and players on our team told me just to keep playing my game."

Winning for the fourth time in the last five games, Weber State improved to 5-5 overall and 2-0 in the Big Sky Conference.

"It feels like we have a rhythm right now," Richardson said. —

In short

R Davion Berry scores 16 of his 21 points in the second half to lead Weber State past Portland State.