@UNCBearsWBB Takes Down Idaho In Overtime

Thursday, February 11

Greeley, Colo.

7:00 pm

University of Northern Colorado

11-11 (6-6BSC)

Idaho

17-7 (9-3BSC)

Team	1	2	3	4	OT 1	F
Idaho	10	16	11	24	7	68
Northern Colorado	16	13	13	19	9	70

Photo by: Rob Trubia

2/11/2016 11:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Northern Colorado wbb earns 70-68 overtime win

By: Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

GRELEEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado women's basketball went into overtime for the second time in three games, coming up on the winning side of a 70-68 contest against Idaho Thursday night.

The Bears earned the win after Savannah Smith hit a 3-pointer with 48 seconds left, and then a great hustle play from the whole team led to Katie Longwell rebounding her own missed shot with 1.3 seconds left. After being fouled, she knocked down the first free throw, but missed the second to make it 70-68.

UNC intercepted a full-court pass from UI in the final second to seal the victory.

"We talked before the game and before the start of overtime about how we have been in these close games and tough spots before and we need to come out there with a good presence and take advantage of our opportunities during it," head coach Kamie Ethridge said. "In overtime you could see the team have that presence and calmness that was missing earlier this year."

Longwell finished with just four points, but played a big role in the win, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out a team-high six assists and grabbing two steals.

Savannah Smith added in another five assists for the Bears and pitched in seven points.

"Savannah Smith didn't have a great game for us tonight, but she stepped up in the moments she needed to, to make a play," Ethridge said of the guard's play.

Idaho forced Northern Colorado to overtime by erasing a 12-point UNC lead in the fourth quarter.

The Vandals' Taylor Pierce hit three straight 3-point shots in less than a minute to pull UI within three with 3:36 left in the game. She finished the night as the game's leading scorer with 16 points.

The Vandals tied the game at 61 on a free throw with 18 second left and kept UNC from getting a shot off before the horn sounded.

The Bears held the lead through most of the game, thanks in part to a 7-0 run following the first media timeout of the game, giving them an 11-4 advantage.

Eight of those 11 points belonged to Rebecca Howell who once again had a good game for UNC. She finished with a team-leading 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. By the end of the first quarter, UNC was on top 16-10.

Idaho responded in the second quarter, going on an 8-0 run to take a 21-20 led. Kyleigh Hiser hit a trey that ended the run and helped UNC to a 29-26 at the half.

It was only a five-point game going into the fourth quarter, when UNC built on its lead with an 8-2 run in the early goings of the final period. Longwell played a key role in the run with a 3-pointer and assist on the other two baskets, a Kiana Williams three and Hiser two.

Williams and Hiser finished the night with a combined 22 points, including going 4-for-6 from downtown along with grabbing eight rebounds.

"I enjoyed the fact that we could play with multiple lineups tonight going both small and big and seeing positive productions with both line-ups," said Ethridge.

Northern Colorado's lead didn't last long as Idaho quickly battled back into the game with their 9-0 run that pushed the game to the overtime.

The Bears will look to extend their home win streak to five-games on Saturday when they host Eastern Washington on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. The Eagles are coming off a road loss to North Dakota Thursday
night, 72-69.

"Eastern Washington pressured us a lot earlier this year and that bothered us," said Ethridge about EWU. "We did well defending them last time out, so we will have to do that again Saturday to come up with another win."