Recap: Strong Shooting Leads Weber State Past @UNCBearsWBB

Thursday, January 11

Ogden, Utah

7 pm

University of Northern Colorado

12-4 (4-1)

Weber State

11-4 (3-1)

Northern Colorado

Weber State

1/11/2018 9:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Weber State shot 50.8 percent to hand UNC its first loss of the Big Sky season Thursday night

By: By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

OGDEN, Utah – Northern Colorado women's basketball was unable to overcome a strong shooting game from Weber State and the 32 point effort by Larryn Brooks, falling to the Wildcats 82-73 Thursday night. WSU handed the Bears their first loss of the Big Sky season by shooting 50.8 percent, compared to UNC's 42.6 percent.

Northern Colorado moves to 4-1 in the Big Sky and 12-4 overall, while Weber State improves to 11-4, 3-1 in the Big Sky.

The teams played back and forth basketball during the first quarter, as WSU held the slight 19-17 lead after the first 10 minutes. Both teams made seven field goals in the first, including one 3-pointer each. The difference was two extra free throws for Weber.

The Wildcats turned that two-point lead into a nine-point lead as they scored the first seven points of the second quarter. The advantage stayed around nine points until Kianna Williams hit the Bears first field goal of the quarter with 4:54 left in the half, starting a 6-0 run for the Bears.

Williams ended up with seven points in the second quarter for UNC, but a trio of Brooks 3s helped Weber hold a 40-32 lead at the half.

Following the break, UNC barely missed a shot in the third going 10-for-14 (71.4%) from the field. The hot shooting kept the team in the game as WSU was not bad themselves going 58.8 percent in the quarter and hitting the timely shot when they needed it. The Bears cut the lead to one possession five times, but each time the Wildcats responded to move it back to two and went into the fourth up 63-58.

Northern Colorado's hot hand continued in the beginning of the fourth quarter, as they made three of their first four shot attempts, but then fizzled out the rest of the way, going 1-of-13 to end the game. Savannah Smith's 3-pointer with four minutes left was the lone basket.

What They Said
Head coach Kamie Ethridge

Overall Thoughts
"It was just a game where we could guard them well enough. They just drove the ball down our throats and had us on our heels all night. I think the difference in the game is they shoot 50 percent and get a lot of easy baskets at the rim. If we give up 82 points we probably are not going to win a lot of ball games, especially when teams shoot 50 percent on us. It's a disappointing outcome. We had some things go against us with Courtney Smith getting into foul trouble and had a chance late to make it interesting but missed some good chances. The bottom line is if you go on the road and let teams shoot that well against you, you are going to have trouble."

On how the team bounces back
"We have a great challenge in front of us now against a tough Idaho State team. I expect us to bounce back. This team is upset with themselves and they are going to want to play a better game than tonight on both ends of the floor. That's the beauty of this league we get another chance to go out and compete again in two days and hope to come home with a split."

Game Changer
Northern Colorado knew they had to slow down Larryn Brooks who came into the game averaging 19.6 points per game but was unable to. The guard used strong dribble penetration to attack the basket and showed her outside shooting as well on her way to a 32 point performance. She shot 57.9 percent from the field including making four 3-pointers and added in six free throws. Brooks also grabbed six rebounds in her 38 minutes of play.

Stat to Know
Three-pointers were big for Weber State in its win over the Bears. They went 6-of-15 from the field, while UNC was 4 for 22. It wasn't just the extra six points that came up big for the Wildcats, but the time of the 3s as well, coming just when they needed them.

Game Notes
- Even with the late shooting trouble, UNC still ended up with five players scoring in double figures Thursday night. Savannah Smith led the way with 20, while Savannah Scott (13), Tiarna Clarke (12), Kianna Williams (11) and Courtney Smith (10) all reached double digits as well.
- Kianna Williams recorded a career-high eight steals in the loss, while also leading the team in blocks (3) and tying with teammate Krystal Leger-Walker in rebounds at six.
- The loss in the month of January is Northern Colorado's first since January 30, 2016. The Bears went 7-0 last January.
- UNC finished the game a perfect 17-of-17 from the charity stripe. Savannah Smith led the team with six free throws.

What's Ahead?
The Bears road trip continues on Saturday when they head up to Idaho State. ISU hosted North Dakota on Thursday night winning, 57-46. Tipoff between Northern Colorado and Idaho State is set for 2 pm MT.

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