Recap: Huge Second Quarter Leads @UNCBearsWBB Over Idaho State

Thursday, February 8

Greeley, Colo

12 pm

University of Northern Colorado

17-6, 9-3BSC

Idaho State

14-8, 6-5BSC

Idaho State

Northern Colorado

Photo by: Woody Myers

2/8/2018 4:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

A 36 point second quarter led Northern Colorado over Idaho State Thursday afternoon

By: By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – The 2,714 District 6 students, teachers and Bear fans that packed Bank of Colorado Arena Thursday afternoon for Health and Hoops Day did not leave disappointed as Northern Colorado defeated Idaho State 75-52.

(2/8/2018) WBB vs ISU

The Bears (17-6, 9-3 Big Sky) used an impressive 36 points second quarter to both pull away and put away ISU (14-8, 6-5). The 36 points outburst saw runs of 10-0, 10-1, 7-0 and 7-1 during it as Savannah Smith led the charge with 12 points during the quarter.

Northern Colorado entered the second quarter actually trailing by two at 13-11.Idaho State's Sai Tapasa scored the first eight points for her team, while Northern Colorado shot 33.3 percent from the field in the quarter.

After head coach Kamie Ethridge talked to her team about relaxing the nerves and extra energy, UNC went on to its big second quarter. The Bears scored on nine straight possession as Smith drained a trio of 3-pointers and was fouled shooting another, while Alexis Chapman added in six points of her own.

UNC ended up with a seven-point possession near the end of the half when a flagrant foul by Idaho State led to a pair of technicals on its bench. The Bears hit four of the six free throw attempts and then Krystal Leger-Walker buried a 3 to put UNC up by 22. They ended up going into the half up 45-25.

Following all of the offensive fireworks from the second quarter, UNC struggled to find a groove early on in the third. Idaho State cut the lead down to 15 by the midway point. Northern Colorado responded with an 11-0 run to close out the quarter including a 3-pointer from Savannah Scott and another from Leger-Walker and Smith.

With the game well in hand entering the fourth, both teams traded baskets throughout as UNC started another important week of Big Sky plays with the 75-52 win.

What They Said
Head Coach Kamie Ethridge

About Health and Hoops Day
"I want to just start by saying thank you to District 6 and our marketing department for working to put on this great day. You cannot just end there, but it's our whole department seeing other coaches and student-athletes helping in getting the kids off the bus and to have a good time. It's a big deal for women's basketball to have this opportunity. It's so educational for the kids, and a great opportunity to come see a basketball game."

Overall thought on game
"Our team is just getting better. I like where we are headed defensively this past couple of weeks. Idaho State picked us apart early with their pick and roll game, but we made some adjustments and ultimately guarded them very well throughout the whole game. I don't think we were perfect offensively, but we pretty much had a perfect second quarter. That can carry you a long way against a tough defensive team like Idaho State."

About the team's second quarter run
"Savannah Smith made three 3s in a short period of time and that got us going. Then they have to press out on her and she is able to find players like Bridget Hintz and Abby Kain open on the inside with easy shots."

Redshirt junior guard Savannah Smith

On the importance of the game
"This was kind of a big game for us. Coach E had talked about not wanting to go on the road and pick up the road sweep and then come back and lose that momentum by dropping this one."

How the team enjoys the day/crowd
"When we heard It was going to be the "kid game" my mind just went back to the game last year and how much fun it was. They definitely helped us win that game last year against Florida Gulf Coast with their energy and it was great to have again today."

What led to the strong defense
"Coach E has really been talking to us about having pride in stopping the person in front of you on defense. I think we all did a good job in doing that today and it showed holding some of their main players below their averages."

Senior guard Savannah Scott
Looking ahead to Weber State
"It's another big game for us and another early start which we like. They beat us earlier this year, so we have that in the back of our minds. They are a big physical team so we will have to match that physicality on Saturday."

On watching Alexis Chapman perform well
"It was so exciting to see her score so much tonight, after always seeing the hard work she puts in during practice. We had multiple players in double figures which is what we aim for."

Game Changer
Savannah Smith dazzled the fans in the stands Thursday afternoon, first with her shooting range, draining a trio of 3s during the second quarter, and then showed off her passing abilities, including dropping in a dime on a fast break to Savannah Scott. Smith finished the game with 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 5-for-5 from the free throw line. All four of her makes were from behind the arc. She also had six assists and a rebound in the game.

Stat to Know
Most coaches are content with a 36 point half, Northern Colorado had a 36 point quarter on Thursday. UNC's big-time second quarter put the game away as they made 68.8 percent of their shots during it.

Game Notes
- Savannah Scott led all players in scoring in the game with 20 points. She shot 5-of-8 from the field and picked up another nine points at the free throw line. She added two rebounds, a block and a steal to her stat line.
- Alexis Chapman scored a career-high 12 points in the game. Six of the 12 came during the big second quarter for the team. She also had an assist, steal and block in the game.
- The 2,714 that packed Bank of Colorado Arena Thursday is the most to see a UNC women's basketball game at the Bank.
- UNC shot 48.1 percent in the game while holding ISU to 36.0 percent.

What's Ahead?
The Bears close the weekend by welcoming Big Sky-leading Weber State to town on Saturday. The Bears will look to avenge an 82-73 loss to the Wildcats earlier this year with the 12 pm tip-off. Before coming to Greeley, WSU plays at North Dakota Thursday night.
For tickets to Saturday's game and any UNC women's basketball game, visit UNCBears.com/Tickets, stop by the UNC Ticket Office from 10 am – 5 pm or call 970-351-3645.
To stay up to date on all things UNC women's basketball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @UNCBearsWBB.