@UNCBearsWBB Williams Career Day Spoiled by Grand Canyon

Monday, December 21

Phoenix, AZ

2:00 pm

University of Northern Colorado

5-5

Grand Canyon University

6-7

Northern Colorado

Grand Canyon University

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

12/21/2015 4:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Kianna Williams 21 points weren't enough for UNC women's basketball Monday afternoon

By: Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

PHOENIX — Kianna Williams had a career game finishing with 21 points and grabbing four rebounds, but that wasn't enough to lead the Northern Colorado (5-5) women's basketball team to victory Monday afternoon. The Bears fell to Grand Canyon (6-7) 69-59.

Williams 21 points tied with GCU's Jessica Gajewski to lead all players in the game. She shot 6-of-12 from the field, including making two 3-pointers and connecting on all seven of her free throws. She also grabbed four rebounds, three steals and an assist during the game.

"Kianna continues to be an impressive player and takes every challenge that has been thrown at her," head coach Kamie Ethridge said. "She has one of the bigger stronger bodies on the team and can play the game inside out with her. I continue to be really really excited about her and how she is growing this season for us."

Grand Canyon defeated UNC with good shooting (50.9 %) and out-rebounding the Bears, 39-27. Meanwhile, Northern Colorado struggled shooting going 19-for-56 from the field.

"It continues to be a tale of two styles of play that keeps on getting us. We seem to be a little more finesse oriented and we are getting beat by teams that are more aggressive and attacking the rim," said Ethridge. "That spills over into how people guard us and they really get into us putting us in situations we don't like. Right now we are just struggling with teams that play aggressive defense and are physical."

Both teams played a back and forth game during the majority of the first quarter, being tied at 14 with 2:22 left. The Lopes closed it out on a 5-0 run to be up 19-14 after one stanza of play.

In the second quarter the Bears came back and tok the lead, but GCU went into the half up by one 32-31.

Williams scored 10 of her 21 points in the half, while both Kyleigh Hiser and Kourteney Zadina added in six points.

Hiser finished the game with eight points and two rebounds, while Zadina ended at eight points and with five rebounds to lead the team, three of them coming on the offensive end.

Only one other Bear finished in double figures scoring in Katie Longwell at 10 points.

The third quarter proved to be the turning point in the game, when Grand Canyon went on a 7-0 run early in the period, and then another one of 6-0 to close it out. The first run lasted over four minutes, while the second extended GCU's lead from two at the 3:22 mark, to eight when the clock had just 41 seconds left.

In the final stanza, the Lopes extended their lead to double figures by the 4:50 mark, not letting UNC get within more than seven the rest of the way.

Monday's game marked the end of non-conference season for the Bears. The next time the team hits the hardwood it will be in a Big Sky Conference game.

"We are a team that is sitting 5-5 and have seen the same thing in all of our losses. We are struggling against those physical teams, and I expect us to continue to see that time of play in league play," Ethridge said. I think our non-conference schedule has prepared us going into league play as we continue to grow as a team. Our challenge going into it is big, but we have the people of this team to succeed. The exciting thing now is we are all starting at the same spot at 0-0. We are hoping to create some good momentum when we start on the road, before coming home in league play."

The Bears will have 10 days to prepare for that game at Eastern Washington on New Year's Eve, with tip-off scheduled for 4:00 p.m. mountain time.