University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Monday, November 13
Greeley, Colo.
7pm
University of Northern Colorado
0-2
59
vs
72
University of California Davis
1-0
1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
UC Davis
32
40
72
Northern Colorado
35
24
59
Slight drives the lane for two
Photo by: Dean Popejoy
Recap: UC Davis Experience Too Much for @UNCO_MBB
11/14/2017 10:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Northern Colorado drops its home-opener to UC Davis
Greeley, Colo.—Coming home after a tough loss to Colorado, Northern Colorado (0-2, 0-0 Big Sky) let a second-half lead get away in its home opener versus the Aggies of UC Davis. The Bears led by eight points with under 12 minutes remaining in the game before allowing a 35-12 run by the Aggies to give UC Davis the win 74-59.
How It Happened
Coach Jeff Linder played with the starting lineup from the previous game against Colorado, starting freshman Jalen Sanders instead of Anthony Johnson. This move paid off right away as Sanders hit a 3 to start the scoring for the Bears. UNC built a 12-6 lead with 12:55 left in the first half. Andre Spight scored in every way possible with two layups, two free throws, and a 3 for nine points during the stretch, helping to build the Bears' lead. The Aggies held the Bears scoreless for the next three minutes as UC Davis tied it at 12.
At the end of the first half, UNC had only trailed twice and the game was tied four times. The Bears took 12 of their 20 first-half shots from behind the arc, shooting 50% (6-12) from deep and 55% (11-20) from the field. They took a three-point lead into the half, 35-32.
The game went back and forth at the start of the second half until the Bears were trailing by one. Sanders drove the lane and slammed the ball home to start a 10-1 run. He was fouled on the play and hit his free throw to put the Bears up by two. The defending Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year Jonah Radebaugh lived up to his title by stealing the ball and passing it off to Spight who hit a jumper and was hacked on the play. He hit his shot from the charity stripe and the Bears were up by seven. UC Davis then hit a free throw, followed by Jordan Davis' layup to put UNC up by eight.
UC Davis' Joe Mooney started the comeback for the Aggies with a three with 11:48 remaining in the game. The Aggies took the lead for good with 8:39 left when Siler Schneider drained a trey, 51-49. The Bears made little bursts of scoring but could never get back into the game.
Game Changer
UC Davis' only returning starter from last year's NCAA tournament team, Chima Moneke, scored a game-high 28 points in 32 minutes. He scored 15 in the second half to lead his team to the win.
Key Stat
Four Aggies made it into double figures while the Bears only had two players score over 10 points. All 14 of UC Davis' bench points came from one player.
In Their Words
Redshirt Senior Guard Andre Spight
On what they did defensively to slow him down
"They didn't do anything much different. I just felt like I was just getting off the ball too soon in the second half and maybe wasn't finding my shot. I was looking for teammates as well. I felt like we made the right plays. We just have to execute them better."
On what he needs to do better
"I need to set up my teammates better and put them in better positions to score. I just need to continue to make plays and for my team. That's my job. I am going to go back to the drawing board and watch some film and see what I need to do better."
Freshman Jalen Sanders
On the team coming together
"I think everyone can play with each other pretty well. I just think that we were kind of hesitant toward taking the right shots and not move the ball so much. I felt like the first game was the opposite and this game was too many passes that led us to turnovers. I think we need to fix that."
On shot selection
"I remember one shot specifically. I passed up a three. I passed it and it led to a bucket but as a team, we just need to take the open shots and believe in ourselves that we can make the shots."
Head Coach Jeff Linder
Opening Statement on the game
"Going into the under 12 media timeout in the second half, we had an eight-point lead. In the course of the last 11:45, we were outscored 33-12. I give UC Davis credit for digging in and getting stops while executing down the stretch. That was the point in the game that it could've gone either way. Even though we have some experience and the talent, we still have guys we are trying to figure out. We are still trying to figure out how to play with each other. Jordan Davis struggled tonight because it was another game he was in foul trouble. He is still trying to figure out how to play with the new guys. It is going to take awhile to figure things out. That is what is good about playing Colorado early and a good team like UC Davis. They have an experienced roster and really good player inside (Moneke). They are going to show your flaws so hopefully, we can learn from that and go back and reflect a little bit. We need to learn to close and execute in games. We were outscored 42-24 in the second half and we are a better team than that."
On finding the right combination
"Tanner Morgan versus Colorado State gets 15 points and that really helped. In our exhibition season, those big guys found a way to give us a few extra points so there wasn't so much pressure on our guards to do the bulk of the scoring. I need to do a better job to find ways to create easier baskets…especially as the game moves on. We need to find ways to move Tanner and those bigger guys to where they can get in position to hit some shots but at the same time too when we started the second half, we had some open shots and you have to finish those. What we were doing was good enough to be up eight with 11 minutes left and that last 11 minutes for whatever reason…whether that was fatigue or to do with the other team, that is kind of where we are at now. We have to find ways to get easier baskets. You can't be a team that lives and dies by the three. It was a tough stretch and we have to be better."
Notable Stats
- Andre Spight scored a UNC-high 20 points.
- In his first college start, freshman Jalen Sanders put 15 on the board. Sanders accomplished his 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line while playing 31 minutes.
- The Bears only had seven assists on 21 made buckets and finished the game shooting 42% from the field.
-UNC did beat the Aggies in second-chance points by scoring seven to UC Davis' zero.
- The Bears also outrebounded their opponent 32-28.
- UNC lived and died by the three-point shot in the second half. They missed all 11 shots from three-point range to finish the game shooting 26% from deep.
Up Next
The Bears will leave Colorado for the first time this season as they travel to Malibu, California to face the Pepperdine Waves Friday night. The game tips off at 8 pm Mountain Standard Time. UNC will return home to face Northern New Mexico Tuesday, November 21st. Tickets can be purchased at the Nottingham Ticket Office Monday-Friday between 10am-6pm, or you can call 970-351-4849 for more information.
To stay up with all things UNC Men's Basketball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @UNCO_MBB.
How It Happened
Coach Jeff Linder played with the starting lineup from the previous game against Colorado, starting freshman Jalen Sanders instead of Anthony Johnson. This move paid off right away as Sanders hit a 3 to start the scoring for the Bears. UNC built a 12-6 lead with 12:55 left in the first half. Andre Spight scored in every way possible with two layups, two free throws, and a 3 for nine points during the stretch, helping to build the Bears' lead. The Aggies held the Bears scoreless for the next three minutes as UC Davis tied it at 12.
At the end of the first half, UNC had only trailed twice and the game was tied four times. The Bears took 12 of their 20 first-half shots from behind the arc, shooting 50% (6-12) from deep and 55% (11-20) from the field. They took a three-point lead into the half, 35-32.
The game went back and forth at the start of the second half until the Bears were trailing by one. Sanders drove the lane and slammed the ball home to start a 10-1 run. He was fouled on the play and hit his free throw to put the Bears up by two. The defending Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year Jonah Radebaugh lived up to his title by stealing the ball and passing it off to Spight who hit a jumper and was hacked on the play. He hit his shot from the charity stripe and the Bears were up by seven. UC Davis then hit a free throw, followed by Jordan Davis' layup to put UNC up by eight.
UC Davis' Joe Mooney started the comeback for the Aggies with a three with 11:48 remaining in the game. The Aggies took the lead for good with 8:39 left when Siler Schneider drained a trey, 51-49. The Bears made little bursts of scoring but could never get back into the game.
Game Changer
UC Davis' only returning starter from last year's NCAA tournament team, Chima Moneke, scored a game-high 28 points in 32 minutes. He scored 15 in the second half to lead his team to the win.
Key Stat
Four Aggies made it into double figures while the Bears only had two players score over 10 points. All 14 of UC Davis' bench points came from one player.
In Their Words
Redshirt Senior Guard Andre Spight
On what they did defensively to slow him down
"They didn't do anything much different. I just felt like I was just getting off the ball too soon in the second half and maybe wasn't finding my shot. I was looking for teammates as well. I felt like we made the right plays. We just have to execute them better."
On what he needs to do better
"I need to set up my teammates better and put them in better positions to score. I just need to continue to make plays and for my team. That's my job. I am going to go back to the drawing board and watch some film and see what I need to do better."
Freshman Jalen Sanders
On the team coming together
"I think everyone can play with each other pretty well. I just think that we were kind of hesitant toward taking the right shots and not move the ball so much. I felt like the first game was the opposite and this game was too many passes that led us to turnovers. I think we need to fix that."
On shot selection
"I remember one shot specifically. I passed up a three. I passed it and it led to a bucket but as a team, we just need to take the open shots and believe in ourselves that we can make the shots."
Head Coach Jeff Linder
Opening Statement on the game
"Going into the under 12 media timeout in the second half, we had an eight-point lead. In the course of the last 11:45, we were outscored 33-12. I give UC Davis credit for digging in and getting stops while executing down the stretch. That was the point in the game that it could've gone either way. Even though we have some experience and the talent, we still have guys we are trying to figure out. We are still trying to figure out how to play with each other. Jordan Davis struggled tonight because it was another game he was in foul trouble. He is still trying to figure out how to play with the new guys. It is going to take awhile to figure things out. That is what is good about playing Colorado early and a good team like UC Davis. They have an experienced roster and really good player inside (Moneke). They are going to show your flaws so hopefully, we can learn from that and go back and reflect a little bit. We need to learn to close and execute in games. We were outscored 42-24 in the second half and we are a better team than that."
On finding the right combination
"Tanner Morgan versus Colorado State gets 15 points and that really helped. In our exhibition season, those big guys found a way to give us a few extra points so there wasn't so much pressure on our guards to do the bulk of the scoring. I need to do a better job to find ways to create easier baskets…especially as the game moves on. We need to find ways to move Tanner and those bigger guys to where they can get in position to hit some shots but at the same time too when we started the second half, we had some open shots and you have to finish those. What we were doing was good enough to be up eight with 11 minutes left and that last 11 minutes for whatever reason…whether that was fatigue or to do with the other team, that is kind of where we are at now. We have to find ways to get easier baskets. You can't be a team that lives and dies by the three. It was a tough stretch and we have to be better."
Notable Stats
- Andre Spight scored a UNC-high 20 points.
- In his first college start, freshman Jalen Sanders put 15 on the board. Sanders accomplished his 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 2-of-3 from the free-throw line while playing 31 minutes.
- The Bears only had seven assists on 21 made buckets and finished the game shooting 42% from the field.
-UNC did beat the Aggies in second-chance points by scoring seven to UC Davis' zero.
- The Bears also outrebounded their opponent 32-28.
- UNC lived and died by the three-point shot in the second half. They missed all 11 shots from three-point range to finish the game shooting 26% from deep.
Up Next
The Bears will leave Colorado for the first time this season as they travel to Malibu, California to face the Pepperdine Waves Friday night. The game tips off at 8 pm Mountain Standard Time. UNC will return home to face Northern New Mexico Tuesday, November 21st. Tickets can be purchased at the Nottingham Ticket Office Monday-Friday between 10am-6pm, or you can call 970-351-4849 for more information.
To stay up with all things UNC Men's Basketball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @UNCO_MBB.
Team Stats
UCD
NC
FG%
.482
.457
3FG%
.455
.261
FT%
.813
.647
RB
30
34
TO
13
19
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
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