Bodie breaks out and leads @UNC_BearsMBB to big win over EWU

Monday, January 7

Greeley, Colo.

7 pm

University of Northern Colorado

10-5, 4-0

Eastern Washington

3-12, 1-3

Eastern Washington

Northern Colorado

Bodie Hume scored 19-straight points for UNC helping lead them to a win over EWU.

1/7/2019 9:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Ryan Ronan

Big Sky play has agreed with Bodie Hume. The freshman from Sterling, Colo. started conference play by scoring a combined 37 points and he took it to another level against Eastern Washington on Monday night. Hume scored 19 points in an eight-minute span and the Eagles were never able to make it much of a fight from that point. UNC improved to 4-0 in conference play with a 75-63 win.

Hume started his run with an inauspicious free throw that put UNC up a bucket with 11:26 to play. In the next three minutes, he sandwiched a three-pointer between a pair of layups and the Bears went up 22-15. The three-point barrage was just getting started, he hit three more three's on three-straight trips down the floor and his layup capped a personal 19-point run that put the Bears up 12. Northern Colorado kept it going and pushed the lead to 45-26 at the break.

Hume finished with 21 points, two off his career high.

"I didn't shoot that well against Idaho," said Hume. "So I got some extra reps in after practice and at shootaround. I missed the first two shots, but figured I might as well keep shooting and ended up hitting a couple more."

He slowed in the second half as Jordan Davis made his case for a second-straight Big Sky Player of the Week award. EWU cut the Bears lead to 12 points with just under seven minutes to play and Davis didn't allow it to get any closer. The senior scored 18 of his 30 points over the final 20 minutes. It was the third time he has scored at least 30 this season.

The side story to Monday night's game that could very easily turn into the main story for the Bears season is that Jalen Sanders made his return to the lineup. Playing for the first time since Nov. 21 and for the first time at home the sophomore scored just two points but more importantly played 19 minutes.

It was an eventful first few seconds on the Bank of Colorado floor for Sanders who had the ball slip away from him and end up in a turnover, but on the ensuing possession he came up with the loose ball and fed Davis for a breakaway layup.

"It was a lot of fun," said Sanders. "The nerves kicked in right away with that first turnover, but after that, I felt pretty good. I was a little rusty on the offensive side, but my teammates picked me up and I thought I had a pretty good home debut."

BREAKING OUT OF THE BOX SCORE

With Davis and Hume combining for 51 of the Bears 75 points no one else reached double figures.
Hume led the team in rebounding with eight.
Eastern came in with the 11th ranked 3-point shooting defense in the league and UNC took advantage knocking down nine more triples.
UNC increased its conference leading scoring margin to 9.7 with the 12-point win.

SCHEDULE SAYS
After playing three home games all season, UNC will close out its three-game conference homestand Saturday against preseason conference favorite Montana at 2 p.m. Tickets are available for both games at tickets.UNCO.edu or by calling the UNC Box Office at 970-351-4849 Monday-Friday 10a.m.-5p.m.