@unco_mbb Begins Big Sky Play at Montana

Thursday, January 1

Missoula, Mont.

7:00 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

Montana

Photo by: Ed Navarro

12/30/2014 11:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball

The Bears battle it out with the Griz this Thursday, Jan. 1 at 7:00 p.m.

By: UNCBears.com

Bears Notes
Griz Notes
Big Sky Notes

Social Media: Twitter|Instagram|Coach Hill

Game 12: at Montana (3-7)
When: 7:00 p.m. (MT) Thursday, Jan. 1
Where: Missoula, Mont. – Dahlberg Arena
Live stats: GoGriz.com
Audio: KFKA-AM 1310 (Troy Coverdale)
Web stream: Watch Big Sky
All-time series: All-time series: Montana leads 8-16 (last meeting, W, 89-86 (OT), Feb. 13, 2014)

NORTHERN COLORADO'S LAST GAME:
Northern Colorado (5-6) saw its five-game home winning streak snapped on Monday night, falling to UC Davis (9-1), 73-63.

The Bears were held to their worst shooting performance of the season by the Aggies, only hitting 21-of-55 (38.2%) of their shots from the floor.

Sophomore guard, Jordan Wilson led UNC on the night, scoring 15 points and grabbing a team-high six rebounds. Senior guard, Tevin Svihovec recorded his fourth straight game in double-digits, dropping 14 points, shooting perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Junior forward, Cody McDavis was the third Bear to reach double-digits, tallying 12 points in the loss.

Northern Colorado falls to 5-1 at Bank of Colorado Arena.

MONTANA'S LAST GAME:
The depleted University of Montana Grizzlies suffered a shooting drought in the final few minutes of their Sunday matinee game, and the result was a 67-62 loss to the University of South Dakota Coyotes in UM's Dahlberg Arena.

The Grizzlies (3-7), who were playing without three starters, missed a handful of crucial three-point shots in the last few minutes of the contest, and the Coyotes (5-8) outscored them 5-0 in the late-going for the victory.

Montana was led by senior guard Jordan Gregory's game-high 18 points. Griz senior post man Chris Kemp, who started for the second time this season, added a career-high 12 points, and was UM's only other double-figure scorer.

THE COACHES:
B.J. Hill - Northern Colorado Record: 65-68 (5th year) Overall Record: 65-68 (5th year)
Travis Decuire - Montana Record: 3-7 (1st year) Overall Record: 3-7 (1st year)

NOTEWORTHY:

The Griz currently lead the Bears 8-16 in the all-time series that dates back to the 1970-71 series.
UNC snapped a five game losing streak that dated back to the 2011 season in 2013-14 by sweeping the defeating Montana both on the road and at home.
The first meeting between the two teams was Dec. 16, 1970. Northern Colorado fell on the road to the Griz, 72-63.
After the 1980 season, UNC and UM didn't meet again for 26 years until 2006 when the Bears joined the Big Sky Conference.
Northern Colorado is currently 4-6 against the Griz under Head Coach B.J. Hill.
UNC ranks tied for 4th in the country in the fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 9.6 each game.
Sophomore guard Jordan Wilson connected on a career-high 5 three-pointers in the loss against UC Davis on Dec. 22. The five three's accounted for all of Wilson's 15 points which was a team-high on the night.

UPCOMING:
The men's basketball team will stay in Montana, visiting Montana State on Saturday, Jan. 3. Tipoff in Bozeman is scheduled for 2:35 p.m.