Fast Start Not Enough For @UNCBearsWBB Against Sacramento State

Thursday, February 25

Sacramento, Calif.

8:00 pm

University of Northern Colorado

11-14, 6-9BSC

Sacramento State

11-15, 8-7BSC

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Northern Colorado	26	14	18	14	72
Sacramento State	20	22	20	21	83

2/25/2016 10:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Northern Colorado women's basketball's fast start wasn't enough for the team at Sacramento State

By: Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A strong start to the game, was not enough for Northern Colorado (11-14, 6-9 Big Sky) women's basketball Thursday night, as Sacramento State (11-15, 7-8 Big Sky) came back to defeat the Bears 83-72.

UNC started the game fast opening with a 10-2 run in the first 3:12 of the game, including back-to-back threes from Katie Longwell and Kyleigh Hiser.

Hiser finished the night as the team's leading scorer with 19 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Longwell didn't score again on the night, but did finish with a career-high tying seven assists.

"Kyleigh had one of her best offensive games of the year," head coach Kamie Ethridge said. "She helped to keep us in the game and got into a good rhythm. It is great to see her playing at the level she is at right now."

Sac. State pulled within five at 17-12 in the first, before Northern Colorado responded with a 7-0 run to extend its lead to 12.

The Hornets closed the quarter out strong though with an 8-2 rally, but the Bears maintained the lead 26-20 at the end of it. In the quarter Northern Colorado shot 55.0 percent to Sac's 28.6 percent.

Sacramento State continued to struggle shooting early on in the second quarter, but free throws kept them in the game. They went 11-of-13 from the charity strip in the first half. Eight of those makes came from Adella Randle-El, who finished with 18 points by night's end.

"They just dominated us at the foul line which ended up hurting us in the end," Ethridge said.

An almost five minute scoring drought for UNC, accompanied by a 16-0 Sac. State run in that time period, was all the Hornets needed to take over the game.

The Bears looked to make a late push before the half, cutting Sacramento State's lead to 42-40 at the half.

In the first half, Rebecca Howell finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, five of the eight rebounds came on the offensive end. She ended the night with her first career double-double ending with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

"Rebecca did a good job keeping us in the game as well and really hitting the boards for us," Ethridge said. "Sacramento State plays a very tough style of basketball and she just ran out of gas near the end of the game."

"What I love about those two (Hiser and Howell) is that they are playing like seniors and playing with great passion and pride as their senior season is winding down. They are playing so hard and wanting to not let the season end which you want to see from your seniors."

In the third quarter, UNC and Sac battled back and forth, and the Bears even got back within one point near the end of the quarter, but never got over the hump to retake the lead. When the horn sounded to end the third the Hornets led 62-58.

Sacramento State opened the final quarter on a 15-4 run to put the game out of reach and send Northern Colorado to its third loss in a row.

"We played very hard and kept ourselves in it until the fourth quarter. We just were unable to make shots during that final quarter and hit a drought. Sacramento State just makes you pay for those droughts and forcing you into turnovers."

The Bears will look to end the losing streak and close the road trip on a high note when they face Portland State (3-23, 1-14 Big Sky) on Saturday. The Vikings fell to North Dakota Thursday night 75-62.