Jan. 6, 2008

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GREELEY, Colo. - The University of Northern Colorado men's basketball team upset the defending Big Sky Conference champions Weber State in front of a home crowd of 1,075 to tie its total number of league wins from a season ago, winning 55-52. Northern Colorado improves to 7-8 on the year and 2-2 in Big Sky Conference play, while Weber State falls to 5-8 overall and 0-1 in league play.

Trailing by two with 0:52 left in the game, senior guard Thanasi Panagiotakopoulos hit his fourth three-pointer of the contest to give the Bears the 50-49 lead, one they never relinquished. Panagiotakopoulos also hit both free throws with 0:30 on the clock and hit one of two with three ticks left to secure the victory. He finished with a season-high 15 points.

Junior forward Jabril Banks also had a big game for the Bears, leading all players with 18 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the year. Freshman forward Taylor Montgomery posted eight points and hit both three-point attempts in the second half.

"Things weren't going our way when he (Panagiotakopoulos) hit that three," said Head Coach Tad Boyle. "It was a big shot and I told my team in the locker room afterwards, close games are won by teams who aren't afraid to lose - and we did that today."

Weber State was led by guard Kellen McCoy with 13 points and three assists, while forward Arturas Valeika grabbed nine rebounds and had two blocked shots.

This was the first game all season the Bears had come back to win after trailing at halftime and did so with just four points off the bench as 51 of the team's 55 points were scored by the starting five (the other four were all scored by freshman forward Neal Kingman).

"You beg and plead as a coach and sometimes they come out and do what you ask and it pleases you to no end," Boyle stated. "I was so pleased for them, they played hard the whole game and it showed."

Northern Colorado shot .389 for the game, hitting just .300 in the first half, but .500 in the second stanza. The Bears also shot .438 from the three-point line and .741 from the free throw line. NC out-rebounded the Wildcats 34-28 and held the preseason favorites to just .352 from the field and .308 from beyond the arc.

The two conference victories for the Bears already tie their output of a season ago, as they were 2-14 in their first year in the Big Sky Conference.

The Bears step out of conference play to face San Diego State on Wed., Jan. 9 and then will not be in action again until the 17^th when they return to league action at Eastern Washington. Both game times are set for 7:05 p.m. (Pacific).