Recap: @UNCO_MBB Never Trails, Notches Third Straight Win

Friday, November 24

Sioux Falls, S.D.

7:00 pm

University of Northern Colorado

3-2

Youngstown State University

2-3

Youngstown State

Northern Colorado

Davis scores 20 in the win

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

11/25/2017 12:11:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Kurt Maddox, UNCBears.com

Sioux Falls, S.D.— There was no tryptophan hangover for the Northern Colorado men's basketball team. Tanner Morgan opened the game with an emphatic dunk and the Bears never looked back, leading by as many as 17 in an 80-67 win over Youngstown State in the first of three games at the Sanford Pentagon Showcase.

How It Happened
Matching strong defense with an early offensive spurt from behind the arc, UNC built a 17-9 lead in the first seven minutes as Jonah Radebaugh, Andre Spight and Anthony Johnson all hit 3's. UNC only missed one shot in that timeframe.

Youngstown State made a few runs, cutting the UNC lead to as little as three at 17-14. The Bears responded with a flurry, outscoring the Penguins by a dozen in just under the next eight minutes to open up their largest lead of the first half at 42-27. The Penguins closed the gap by four to trail the Bears at the half, 44-34. UNC shot a blistering 58 percent from the field in the first half.

The squads traded baskets for the opening five of the second half before a rash of turnovers allowed YSU to make a run to pull within four at the 11:34 mark. UNC would not let them get any closer as Jordan Davis and Andre Spight led the charge in the final ten minutes. Spight hit a three at the 6:01 mark to ignite a 13-1 UNC run fueled by three YSU turnovers to grow the lead to 17 with just two minutes to play.
UNC wins their third straight to move to 3-2 on the season and 2-1 away from Greeley.

Game Changer
Jalen Sanders quietly notched his first-ever collegiate double-double in the victory. Sanders grabbed 12 boards while racking up 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting. All 12 of his rebounds were on the defensive side. The true freshman also had three blocks and three assists.

Key Stat
The Bears did not hesitate to make the extra pass in the win. UNC racked up 17 assists on their 30 made field goals. Their average has gone up from eight a game to now close to 12 assists per game during the three-game winning streak.

JD on his way to 1K
Jordan Davis recorded his first 20-point game of the season. JD shot 69% (9-13) Friday night to lead all scorers and now sits just 31 points away from the 1,000-point mark for his UNC career.

Notable Stats
•    UNC made the most out of every fast-break opportunity, outscoring the Penguins 11-4 in transition.
•    Northern Colorado's starters paved the path for the win, accounting for 65 of the Bears' 80 points.
•    54% from the charity stripe might not look good on paper but the Bears hit their freebies when they needed it. Youngstown State only hit just 39% from the foul line.
•    The Bears never trailed in the game. After Morgan's dunk to score the first points of the game, UNC never played from behind for the second consecutive game and has now trailed for just 12 seconds during their three-game winning streak.

What's Ahead
There is no time to bask in the victory as the Bears play take on South Dakota in a 5:30 pm Mountain Time tip on Saturday. If you want to see the Bears Sunday, you will have to get up early because the game tips off at 9:30 am Mountain Time.
UNC travels to UC Davis November 29 for a rematch with the Aggies before returning to Bank of Colorado Arena for a three-game stretch. That homestand opens Sunday, December 3, when the Bears host Head Coach Jeff Linder's alma mater, Western State, at 5 pm following a UNC women's game versus Pacific. Single game tickets are just $3 each in advance at UNCBears.com.