Weber St. 62, San Francisco 54

12/28/2007 11:02 PM

OGDEN, Utah (AP) -Eddie Sutton figures he'll get wins No. 799 and 800 soon enough. For now, though, the 71-year-old coach is happy to teach his new players the finer points of the game.

Sutton returned to coaching Friday night, but rather than recording win No. 799, the 71-year-old settled for loss No. 316.

Sutton, who retired from Oklahoma State following the 2005-06 season, replaced Jessie Evans as San Francisco's basketball coach. On Wednesday night, the school announced that Evans was taking ``a leave of absence'' for the rest of the season. Sutton will lead the Dons (4-8) on an interim basis.

After building a 15-point lead in the second half, Weber State held on and came away with a 62-54 victory over San Francisco.

``I was excited and I really enjoyed it,'' said Sutton. ``I didn't enjoy the way the team was playing. I told the guys I'm not accustomed to losing games and getting behind that far.''

Weber State (5-7) got 13 points from reserve Steve Panos and 12 from forward Daviin Davis.

The Dons (4-9) fell behind 39-24 with 14:14 left to play, but rallied with an 18-8 run.

When USF's Christian Hernandez hit a 3-pointer with 4:42 remaining, it cut Weber State's lead to 49-46.

The Wildcats hit six straight free throws in the final minute to preserve the win.

Sophomore forward Dior Lowhorn led the Dons with 19 points on 9-for-18 shooting. Guard Danny Cavis hit four-3-pointers and added 15 points.

``People ask me, what do you miss about coaching?'' Sutton said. ``The games aren't the thing I miss the most, I miss the teaching at practice sessions and watching the players mature and grow and get better.''