University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, December 31
Greeley, CO
5:00 p.m.
University of Northern Colorado
4-9, 1-0Big Sky
96
vs
90
Eastern Washington University
6-7, 0-1Big Sky
1
2
F
Eastern Washington
39
51
90
Northern Colorado
41
55
96
Team Stats
EWU
UNCO
FG%
.471
.615
3FG%
.333
.692
FT%
.773
.467
RB
36
39
TO
7
12
STL
3
1
Game Leaders
Pts
26
FGM
10
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballPhoto by: Dean Popejoy
@unco_mbb Staves Off Eastern Washington in Big Sky Opener 96-90
12/31/2015 8:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Bears didn't relinquish its lead for the entire second half, picking up its first win over EWU since 2012.
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GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado (4-9, 1-0 Big Sky) shot a season-best 61.5% from the field and 69.2% from downtown, leading to a 96-90 win over reigning Big Sky champs Eastern Washington (6-7, 0-1 Big Sky) on Thursday night inside Bank of Colorado Arena. It was the first time since the 2012 season that UNC had picked up a W over the Eagles.
The team was led by junior guard, Jordan Wilson who had a near perfect night, dropping a career-high 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in the win. Wilson also dished out seven assists, one shy of his career-best.
Despite foul trouble in the first half, fellow junior guard, Dallas Anglin also contributed 18 points and hauled in four boards in the victory in just 26 minutes of court time.
Junior guard, Anthony Johnson was the third Bear in double figures, notching 13 points with nine of those coming on three balls.
"I think the difference was what Ibrahim [Sylla], Jeremy [Verhagen] and Tanner [Morgan] gave us tonight. We haven't gotten that kind of production from that position yet," said head coach B.J. Hill. "Venky [Jois] still had a big night, but they made him work and by the end of the game I felt Eastern Washington was tired."
Northern Colorado played from behind the entire first half, trailing by as many as eight points to EWU.
Two three pointers from Johnson in the final 34 seconds of the half sparked a 6-0 rally and pushed UNC out in front for its first lead of the game, 41-39 as the first half came to an end.
With momentum on their side, the Bears picked up right where they left off extending its advantage out to five (44-39) thanks to a Johnson make at the charity stripe and a redshirt sophomore center, Jeremy Verhagen lay-in down low.
The Eagles put an end to the 10-0 rally with a layup from Felix Von Hofe, who scored a game-high 27 points.
UNC and the Eags traded baskets over the next few minutes, tying the game three different times before a reverse lay-in from Anglin made it a 52-50 game in favor of the home team with 13:29 to play, a lead they would not surrender for the remainder of the contest.
It was the Anglin and Wilson show for the next 13 minutes of regulation as the pair combined for 30 of the team's 55 second half points, pushing UNC's lead to as many as 10.
EWU didn't make it easy though, a pair of Austin McBroom free throws made it just a two point game (83-81) with 2:20 left on the clock, but a six-point rally from the Bears, courtesy of Anglin, Wilson and freshman guard, Jordan Davis helped UNC hold on for the win.
"I know they're (Idaho) playing really well and have a heck of a coach," Hill said about the upcoming game against Idaho. "He replaced two 1,000 point scorers in his lineup and they're still winning games. They're the best team in the league defensively right now and the best team in the league in rebounding, which is what we're trying to do. You have to go take a game from Idaho – they're not going to hand it over to you."
The Bears remain at home as Idaho (9-5, 1-0 Big Sky) comes to Greeley after edging out North Dakota, 74-71 on Thursday night. Tip against the Vandals is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 2.
Stats of the Game:
- Northern Colorado outrebounded the Eagles 39-36 with 14 of those boards coming on the offensive end of the court. Redshirt freshman forward, Ibrahim Sylla led the team, recording nine rebounds in just his second start of the season.
- UNC also got its best production of the season from their big men, as they combined for 33 points and 21 rebounds.
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