Recap: @UNCBearsWBB Improves to 2-0, Grinding out 71-63 win over Denver

Sunday, November 12

Denver, Colo.

1:00 pm

University of Northern Colorado

2-0

Denver

1-1

Northern Colorado

Denver

Photo by: Julie Hillebrant

11/12/2017 4:24:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Northern Colorado women's basketball improved to 2-0 on the season with a hard-fought 71-63 win over Denver Sunday

By: By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

DENVER – Northern Colorado women's basketball improved its record to 2-0 on the year as they defeated in-state foe Denver (1-1) 71-63 on Sunday afternoon. The Bears used a strong second half defensively to get past the Pioneers, holding them to 21 points on 20.7 percent shooting.

Denver started the game fast with a 7-2 run and built its lead to as much as eight points with a pair of Lauren Loven 3-pointers. The Bears quickly closed the gap with a 9-1 run of their own including a Kianna Williams 3 to cut the Pioneers lead to one.

Northern Colorado reclaimed the lead just before the first quarter ended when Savannah Scott stole a pass at the top of the key and took it the other way for an easy two. UNC would lead after the first 10 minutes of play 21-20.

UNC took the strong momentum from the end of the first quarter into the beginning of the second. The team built its lead to as much as seven points by the 5:30 mark of the second quarter, but then the offense stalled out. DU closed the half on a 14-2 run and took a 42-37 lead into the locker room. Denver shot well from the field in the first half going 53.6 percent from the field.

The Bears quickly evened the game at 42 coming out of the break behind a Savannah Scott layup and Savannah Smith 3-pointers in the first minute and a half. The team clamped down on defense, holding DU scoreless until the 3:28 mark of the third quarter.

Despite holding the Pioneers scoreless over that time, Northern Colorado's offense struggled to find a rhythm, only building its lead to three at 45-42.The Bears led by that three-point margin at the end of the court, entering the fourth up 53-50.

Both teams battled back and forth in the fourth quarter, as UNC built its lead to four points following Savannah Smith's fifth 3-pointer of the game. S. Smith hit the shot with 6:05 remaining in the game, but hit another scoring drought, lasting a little over three and a half minutes.

Denver took advantage of that UNC drought to go up on UNC 61-60 on a Jordyn Alt layup. Senior Savannah Scott ended the drought for UNC on a well-designed inbounds play following a timeout as teammate Bridget Hintz found her in the corner for a wide-open 3-pointer.

Scott ended up scoring six straight points for the Bears hitting a trio of free throws, after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Those six straight points, put away the game for Northern Colorado, as they held Denver to just two points over the final 3:12 of the game.

They Said It
Head Coach Kamie Ethridge

"We have to be thrilled with coming in here and winning this game. This was as hard a win as the DePaul win with our travel schedule and practice yesterday and quick turnaround today. We knew it was going to be a tough turnaround after an emotional high with the win against DePaul. We have total respect for Denver and they played a great game. The team had to overcome and manage some obstacles and I think we did a good job of doing that. To still win not playing your best basketball is important and we were able to do that today."

"At the half I told the team that there are many ways we can lose a game. I told them we can win the game, but if we play as a poor defense as we did in the first half we still lose. It was a real test for us to see how we responded after that first half and we responded to it."

"I hope more than anything that starting 2-0 and beating a top 25 on the road that we can create some excitement in our community and with our fans. We have an SEC power team coming to our place on Wednesday, in LSU and it's a great opportunity for us to showcase Greeley and our town. I hope we can get our fans and students there to give LSU the hardest environment possible to play in."

Redshirt junior guard Savannah Smith
"It felt good to see some of those shots go in today. Coach E always talks about running good offense and getting into a good rhythm. I felt like I was able to get that today."

"I think that defense is a big key, especially when shots aren't going in. When I was missing some shots early I just wanted to make up for it on the defensive side of the ball and help get the team stops."

Senior guard Savannah Scott
"It's hard when you get into foul trouble, and I was just out of a groove during that third quarter. In the fourth quarter, they had the lead and I knew I just had to push it and found a rhythm."

Game Changer
For the majority of the game, Northern Colorado's offense struggled to find a rhythm, outside of redshirt-junior guard Savannah Smith. The guard tied her career-high with 29 points, connecting on five 3-pointers. It wasn't just her offensive output that helped the Bears to the win, but she also recorded a team-leading five steals.

Stat to Know
When your offense is struggling you have to find other ways to win a game. For UNC that was the case on Sunday afternoon, and the team's defense stepped up to the challenge. After Denver shot 53.6 percent in the first half, including making eight 3-pointers, Northern Colorado held DU to 20.7 percent and just one made 3.

Game Notes
- Senior Savannah Scott battled foul trouble in the first half and didn't find her shot until late in the game. Despite the struggles, she finished the game with 16 points. Nine of those 19 points came in the fourth, including a key stretch of six straight for the team.
- The duo of Kianna Williams and Krystal Leger-Walker continued to make the glue plays for UNC. They combined for 10 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
- Once again points off turnovers was big for UNC, scoring 21 off 14 Denver turnovers.

What's Ahead
Northern Colorado hosts LSU for its home-opener on Wednesday, November 15 at 7 pm. It is the first time UNC and LSU face each other. The game will be broadcast on CET, along with an audio stream on UNCBears.com.

Season tickets for the women's basketball season start at just $60. UNC welcomes some of the best in women's basketball to Bank of Colorado Arena this season including LSU, BYU, and Colorado State. The 15 game home slate also features top Big Sky teams Montana, Montana State and North Dakota.

To stay up to date on all things UNC women's basketball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @UNCBearsWBB.