OGDEN, Utah (January 28, 2017) – These days, there’s no bad news concerning the Northern Colorado Bears.
The UNC women’s basketball program has a solo first-place lead in the Big Sky Conference, and has posted an impressive season that is turning heads around mid-major basketball. Hosting Southern Utah, the Bears rung the bell once again,
earning a 74-55 win over the Thunderbirds.
Northern Colorado struggled a tad early, as the Thunderbirds took a 19-15 lead after the end of the first quarter. However, the Bears outscored Southern Utah 45-23 in the middle quarters of the game, taking a 60-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Bears’ defense limited Southern Utah to just 35.6 percent shooting. Northern Colorado’s win came in spite of the Bears attempting just two free throws, missing both. The Bears led by as many as 26 points in the win.
Savannah Smith led the Bears with 22 points, while Savannah Scott contributed 15 points. Southern Utah’s Darri Frandsen finished with 22 points, as the only double-digit scorer for the Thunderbirds.
This is a school-record 11 straight wins for Northern Colorado. The Bears will put their undefeated conference mark on the line next weekend, as they host travel partner North Dakota.
Idaho State 57, Weber State 52 – A scrappy finish saw the Idaho State Bengals hold on to split the season series with their travel partner.
A back-and-forth affair between the two rivals ended with Idaho State’s advantages in the paint paying off. Weber State led 16-11 after the first quarter, and held a 31-30 lead at halftime. However, the Bengals limited the Wildcats to 11.8 percent shooting (2-of-17) in the third quarter, allowing Idaho State to take a 44-37 lead into the final period.
The Bengals limited Weber State to makes on just 2 of their last 10 field goal tries. It was a tough offensive performance for both squads, with Idaho State leading the pack at 33 percent (17-of-52) from the floor.
Saylair Grandon led Idaho State with 14 points, as three Bengals ended with scoring totals in double-digits. Weber State’s Emily Drake also finished with 14 points.
North Dakota 88, Northern Arizona 69 – A sizable win for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks sets up what will surely be a mammoth clash in #BigSkyWBB next weekend.
The Fighting Hawks limited the Lumberjacks to just 31.5 percent shooting, holding Northern Arizona at bay with defense in the first half. North Dakota led 29-23 at halftime, before going on a 32-18 run in the third quarter to take a sizable advantage into the final period.
It was a day for sharing the basketball in Grand Forks, as the Hawks finished with 24 assists on 34 baskets. Makailah Dyer finished with a line of 16 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists for UND, who is now at 9-1 in league play. Fallyn Freije led the Fighting Hawks with 28 points.
Northern Arizona’s Rene Coggins finished with 18 points.
Sacramento State 77, Portland State 68 – A strong fourth quarter propelled the Sacramento State Hornets to a road win over travel-partner foe Portland State.
The Hornets outscored the Vikings 27-10 in the fourth quarter, shooting 69.2 percent in the quarter (9-of-13) to outdistance Portland State. In contrast, Portland State shot just 36.4 percent in the final period, after leading 58-50 heading into the last quarter.
Sacramento State’s pressure style helped them stay in a game that Portland State led by as many 13. The Hornets forced 25 Vikings turnovers, which led to a 30-16 advantage in points-off-turnovers. Sacramento State went on a 22-0 run, at one point.
Maranne Johnson made 11-of-16 shots, including 6-of-9 three-point shots, to lead the Hornets with 28 points. Courtney West contributed 20 points for Portland State.
Montana State 72, Eastern Washington 61 – A dominant third quarter lifted the Montana State Bobcats to a sweep of the Idaho-Eastern Washington road trip.
The Bobcats outscored the Eagles 19-6 in the period, stretching what was a 37-34 halftime lead into a 56-40 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The story for the Bobcats’ control of the final stats started with the free-throw line, where the Bobcats sank 14-of-15 shots from the line. That, mixed with their defense, gave Montana State its eighth league win, as the Bobcats sit in solo third place.
Montana State guard Hannah Caudill had a breakout performance, finishing with 23 points as she made 7-of-11 three-point shots. Riley Nordgaard contributed 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Tisha Phillips led Eastern Washington with 18 points.
Idaho 75, Montana 50 – A second-half surge lifted Idaho to a dominating home win over the Montana Lady Griz.
With the Vandals holding a narrow 35-31 halftime lead, Idaho outscored the Lady Griz 40-19 in the second half. Montana shot just 29 percent in the second half, as Idaho shot 51.9 percent in the second half.
Idaho controlled the paint, outrebounding Montana (37-30) and also outscoring them in the paint (32-22). Additionally, the Vandals forced 16 Lady Griz turnovers, scoring 19 points off those giveaways.
Karlee Wilson led the Vandals with 18 points, while McKenzie Johnston scored 11 points for Montana.