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to come off the bench and fill in the role, finishing with a total of 15 points, one assist and one steal throughout the game. This matchup only had one lead change throughout the entire game as Montana held the Wildcats off for a majority of the 40 minutes.

“I thought our plan was sound, but they executed better than we did,” Duft said.

After a big win over Montana State and a hard-to-swallow loss against Montana, Weber State sits at No. 3 in the Big Sky rankings. With a 13–13 record, the Wildcats have a total of five more games until the conference tournament in March.

Weber State will hit the road to take on Sacramento State University on Feb. 16 and Portland State on Feb. 18. The Wildcats’ next home game will be against Eastern Washington on Feb. 23.

By RAYSHAUN BAKER-LYNCH Asst. Section Editor

Weber State University’s men’s basketball team won in a battle against Montana State Bobcats 73–63 on Feb. 9 at the Dee Events Center.

Coming off a blowout 88–54 loss to the University of Northern Colorado on Feb. 6, the Wildcats were looking to get their first win against the Bobcats since Dec. 30, 2021.

Early in the first half of this game, Montana State guard Raequan Battle started scoring early, hitting a 3-pointer to go up early. Then Wildcat forward Dillon Jones came back down the other end to hit a go-ahead layup.

The scoring went back and forth for a while, with Montana State having a slight lead. Going into halftime, Montana State was up 39–34.

Going into the second half, Jones said he told the team they had to lock them down on the defensive side of the ball. He said the Wildcats were scoring but needed more stops to take the lead.

In the second half, Montana State came out in a zone defense to slow the Wildcats down. Their zone worked the first few possessions until the Wildcats figured it out and made a run. Weber State went on a 30–7 run to capture the lead by 14 points.

After the run, Weber State kept their distance. With 6:39 left, tempers rose when Wildcat center Alex Tew and Bobcats guard Raequan Battle both got technical fouls.

With 1:53 left, Montana State trimmed the lead to 6-points, but free throws from Wildcats forward Dyson Koehler and guard Junior Ballard sealed the game.

“We had some good post-defense tonight, credited to our team for being able to lock in and know what we’re doing,” Jones said. “We just had to get them to miss. We were making shots all night.”

Wildcats head coach Eric Duft said they won this game because of their players and that his belief in his players was on full display.

“We got their big guys to turn it over 11 times. I thought that was the difference in the game,” Duft said. “Coach Russel had a really good game plan. He knows them well, and it’s a credit to our players. You better have the right guys this time of the year.”

Jones said this game shows how the team is maturing at the right time of the year.

“Nobody thought we were going to be good. In-house, we knew what it took. We knew how good we were,” Jones said. “When you look at our season, we basically played two seasons the way we started so bad you’ll never think our record is what it is.”

By SHANIA EMMETT Reporter

Most people associate Valentine’s Day with giving chocolates and gifts romantically, but in Japan and other Asian cultures, Valentine’s Day has been more thought of as a holiday for giving loved ones, friends and coworkers gifts.

Valentine’s Day in Japan is for women to give gifts to the men in their lives. It could be their friends, loved ones or co-workers who are close to them.

Then, on March 14, it’s the men’s turn to give gifts to the women who gave them gifts. The men give anything white. This day is called White Day. Common gifts such as clothing, white chocolate or white paper cranes can be given.

The main reason for White Day comes from what Japanese culture believes when it comes to gift-giving. People in Japan believe if someone receives something, they should give something back in return. This is called Okaeshi. It means gifts given for receiving gifts.

“I love how much different the culture is with the holidays over in Japan compared to here and that the festivals are always so special with each piece of it representing something important,” Shelby Beckstead, a member of Cosplayers of Utah, said.

According to History.com, Valentine’s Day used to be known as Lupercalia, the pagan holiday that celebrated the she-wolf that took in Romulus and Remus. It was then changed to be called Valentine’s day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Catholic Saint.

“It was one of the Roman fertility festivals, and it was later converted into Saint Valentine’s Day by the Roman Catholic Church much in the same way that several other prolific pagan holidays were altered to more closely fit the church’s image,” Rhydian, a member of Cosplayers of Utah, said.

Rhydian has also pointed out that though both holidays have become increasingly commercialized as the years go on, they love that it isn’t centralized on romantic love; you can give gifts to anyone close to you.

Valentine’s Day and White Day in Japan are also quite differently celebrated in this aspect when compared to Valentine’s Day in the United States.

In Japan, it is more focused on love in general and not necessarily romantic love. In fact, on Valentine’s Day in Japan, the chocolates are called obligation chocolates. Not because they are naturally obligated to give them, but because the men who are given the chocolates are close to the women in some way or another.

“I love celebrating those I care about,” Justine Carroll, a member of Cosplayers of Utah, said. “Sure I tell them I love them every day, but making them feel special once a year is something I love to do.”