| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine (4-7) | 24 | 32 | 56 |
| Northern Colorado (7-5) | 34 | 37 | 71 |
| Greeley, Colo. (Butler-Hancock) | |||
| UC Irvine | Northern Colorado |
|---|---|
| Pts: Belen, Kiara - 17 | Pts: Kim Lockridge - 17 |
| Reb: White, Jazmyne - 7 | Reb: D'Shara Strange - 9 |
| Ast: Belen, Kiara - 3 | Ast: Amy Marin - 5 |
| Team Statistics | UC Irvine | Northern Colorado |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 29.3% (17-58 ) | 46.0% (23-50 ) |
| Rebounds | 28 | 47 |
| Assists | 8 | 16 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 17 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 17 | 13 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 5 | 8 |
| Pts in the Paint | 14 | 28 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 5 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 19 | 19 |
Women's basketball leads wire-to-wire in win over UC Irvine
GREELEY – There have been two statistics that when the Bears hit one it usually means a win and the Northern Colorado women's basketball team hit both in a 71-56 victory at Butler-Hancock on Monday evening.
The Bears (7-5) are now 40-8 under head coach Jaime White when scoring 70 or more points in a game and are 6-0 this season when scoring 61 or more.
The second statistic that has led to wins is out-rebounding the opponent. NC is now 6-0 this year when winning the battle of the boards and tonight they had a +19 rebound margin (47-28). The Bears actually had more rebounds in the first half (31) than the Anteaters had in the full game. The 47 boards is the most this season and are tied for the ninth-most in the school's Division I history.
"As much as I feel we are a little bit tired, we were focused – especially in that first half – and we understood the scout like we need to," said White.
Freshman center Stephanie Lee had another stellar game, scoring a career-best 14 points with a career-high eight rebounds.
Sophomore forward Kim Lockridge also tied her career-high in scoring, leading the team with 17 points. Sophomore guard D'shara Strange added 15 points and a game-high six steals, while sophomore forward Molly Duehn chipped in 10 to tie her career-high.
"Kim is ready," said White. "She's getting rebounds and her touch is different on the ball than it was even three games ago. It starts with her defense, which she's pretty solid at, and then her rebounding and she's just finished a lot of shots around the basket nicely."
Duehn also tied her career-high with eight rebounds and was one of four Bears with five or more rebounds.
Senior guard Amy Marin also established a new career-high with five assists, which led the game.
The Bears made 22-of-29 free throws on the night, for 75.9 percent. It is the third-best percentage this season and substantially better than the previous two games where the team was under .500. The Bears made their first seven from the charity stripe, the best start to a game since they made 12 straight to start the contest at CSU Bakersfield last year in the first round of the WBI.
"I think it's good to practice shooting free throws during the game," said Head Coach Jaime White. "To feel that pressure, to feel the stress a little bit so it was nice that we got to the line and knocked them down."
The 22 free throws is also the most in a game since Jan. 22, 2011 at Weber State when they sank 26.
The Bears are now off until Dec. 29 when they host Black Hills State in the final non-conference game of the season. The team is guaranteed a winning record in non-conference play for the second time in three years.
"If I could have written how I wanted {the year} to end I would have said we needed to end on a couple of wins to feel that security or that confidence going into the next half," said White. "I think the teams in the Big Sky are good this year and it's going to be a battle and it's going to come down to that last game like it did last year."
