Recap: @UNCO_MBB Lose Lead Late to End Winning Streak

Wednesday, November 29

Davis, Calif.

8 pm

University of Northern Colorado

5-3

University of California Davis

4-2

Northern Colorado

UC Davis

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

11/30/2017 7:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Kurt Maddox, UNCBears.com

Davis, Calif.—UNC was riding high coming into the rematch with UC Davis Wednesday. The Bears had won five straight with their last loss to those Aggies November 13. Northern Colorado lead by 11 with 4:27 left in the game. Davis made a similar run to the one in Greeley to make the comeback and hand the Bears their first loss in six games, 56-51.

How It Happened

UC Davis jumped out to a five to zero lead. Northern Colorado did not get on the board until the 16:48 point in the first on a Jordan Davis. The Bears clamped down on defense after the fast start for the Aggies. UNC held Davis to no field goals for 3:29 and 2:49 in the first 10 minutes to stay close in the game. The Bears fared just about the same as the Aggies. UNC was amidst a 2:30 scoreless streak but Andre Spight ended it with a bucket. Bears were still down 10-7.

UNC trailed by as many as 7 but clawed back into it with defense and shooting their way out of their slump. They attempted 13 3's before they nailed their first one at 2:15 by Anthony Johnson. With under a minute to go, Jordan Davis was playing with two fouls but they did not stop him from being aggressive. Davis charged to the bucket and drew the foul. The Bears were down 21-20. JD hit both free throws and UNC took the lead into the half, 22-21.

The Bears opened up the second half with a 5-0 run to lead by six. UNC shooting percentage was low but their free throws were going through the hoop. Bears were 12-of-14 from the charity stripe with 16 minutes to go. UC Davis was stifled by the Bears defense for over three minutes and that allowed the Bears to keep their lead.

UNC started to find the bottom of the net as they hit four for four shots with nine left in the game. The uptick in shooting and another scoreless streak by the Aggies helped the Bears extend their advantage to 11 points, 51-40. UC Davis decided then to end their over six-minute dry spell from the floor. The Aggies 16-unanswered points on the bears to win the game 56-51.

Game Changer
TJ Shorts II rallied the Aggies by putting down seven of the 16 points in the run that ultimately won the game for UC Davis. Shorts finished the game with 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 4-of-6 from the foul line. Three of his four freebies were a part of the 16-0 spurt.

Key Stat
Just like the game in Greeley, UC Davis had multiple players score in double figures while UNC's only scorer in two digits was Jordan Davis who had 19.

In Their Words

Head Coach Jeff Linder
Opening Thoughts on the game

"Give them credit for sticking it out for 40 minutes when they could've said this is too tough. That is a winning team. That is a winning program and guys who have been in close games. You have to tip your hat to them. Even though we lost the game, our guys in the locker room feel it and they knew they let one slip away. We are moving in the right direction. We always talk about that we are going to have games on the road where you are not going to make shots…maybe not to the extreme of what happened tonight of going 1-of-23 from the three-point line and a lot of those were good looks but they just didn't go in. Our defense kept us in the game and that is what we talk about…the habits we build in practice. On the defensive end of the floor on nights like tonight when you are not making shots, gives the chance to win. We're doing the right things."

On free-throw shooting

"We did a good job. We wanted to move them and drive them. They did a good job of adjusting there the last few minutes in going to a zone defense. We had some good looks the first few possessions of zone. We made some baskets but it comes down to the other end and you have to make a stop."

Notable Stats

UNC only hit one three-point shot the entire game. The Bears launched 23 from 3-point land.
The bench tried to keep UNC in the game by outpacing the UC Davis bench 13-8.
The Aggies finished with six fast-break points while the Bears did not drop any in at the time in which the speed of the game quickened.
Despite their bombing away from deep, the Bears did win the battle down low as they put 24 on the board from the paint. The Aggies had 20 from inside the lane.

What's Next
The Bears return to Bank of Colorado Arena for a three-game stretch starting Sunday, December 3, when the Bears host Head Coach Jeff Linder's alma mater, Western State Colorado, at 5 pm following a UNC women's game versus Pacific. UNC has another doubleheader Sunday, December 10th when the women welcome in-state foe Colorado State at 2 pm and the men play host to Oklahoma Panhandle State at 5 pm. Single-game tickets for both of the Sunday men's games are just $3 each in advance at UNCBears.com. The men then conclude their homestand against the University of Denver on December 13th with a 7 pm tip.