Bears Pile up the Points, Come Up Short Against Dons

Tuesday, November 5

Greeley, Colo.

7 pm

University of Northern Colorado

0-1,0-0Big Sky

San Francisco

1-0,0-0WCC

San Francisco

Northern Colo.

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

11/5/2019 11:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Northern Colorado dropped its regular season opener

By: Matthew Kushar, UNCBears.com

It was a high-scoring affair at Bank of Colorado on Tuesday night, but Northern Colorado came up short against San Francisco, 90-83. UNC opened the regular season with a tough loss, after the Dons rallied in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Bears 31-20.

"It was a tough night," head coach Jenny Huth said. "We have to work through playing without fouling and executing down the stretch. We took some leads and we could not hold. We have to play together and collective. Its hard with freshman, you have to encourage them a lot and they have to be tough. We didn't get to the passion plays we wanted to. I think the big we have to compete against players who can execute. You can't get away with playing lollygag defense. We have to play with strategy, heart and hustle."

USF went 16-of-20 from the free throw line in the fourth crucial to taking the lead from UNC. The free throw line was a key for the Dons in the game, as they had 42 free throws attempted compared to the Bears 18. UNC committed 25 fouls in the game, with the Dons fouling 19 times.

"As soon as we put them on the line, that was a changing point." Huth said. "They got to the line and it slowed the game down when we were playing our best."

Ioanna Krimili finished with a game-high 32 points, going 18-of-20 at the free throw line.

UNC had a 44% shooting percentage in the game and 33% from three-point range. Six Bears finished with double-digit points. Bridget Hintz and Alexis Chapman tied for the team high with 15 points each. Hintz grabbed six rebounds and Chapman finished with four.

Alisha Davis scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds in her first career game as a Bear.

The Dons shooting improved as the game went, starting with 30% in the first to 64% in the fourth quarter.

Kadie Deaton came off the bench in the third quarter and sparked UNC with eight points. She would finish with 14 on five-of-10 shooting. UNC had a 63-59 lead at the end of the third quarter but struggled with a 39% shooting percentage in the fourth quarter.

USF pulled ahead of the Bears, 74-72, with a pair of free throws from Kia Vaalavirta at 4:45 left in the game. The free throws were part of a 9-0 run by the Dons that put the team ahead for good.

Game Notes

Jasmine Gayles, Alecia Whyte, Alisha Davis, Mele Finau and Kadie Deaton all made their debuts for Northern Colorado on Tuesday night. Whyte scored 12 points, while Gayles added 11.
UNC had a 7-3 edge in assists.
Both teams had 12 turnovers in the game.
UNC shot 8-24 from three-point range, while USF was less willing to shoot from beyond the arc, going four-of-eight.
The Dons had eight steals in the game and UNC managed only two.

What's Next
Northern Colorado will play Colorado State on Friday, Nov. 8 with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.(MT). The game will be immediately followed by the UNC men's basketball team,
tentatively scheduled for 8 p.m.