University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, January 2
Greeley, Colo.
7 PM
University of Northern Colorado
8-5,1-1Big Sky
68
vs
59
Montana State
8-6,2-1Big Sky
1
2
F
Montana St.
26
33
59
Northern Colo.
36
32
68
Photo by: Dean Popejoy
Men's Basketball Makes Winning Plays Down the Stretch
1/2/2020 10:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UNC men's basketball defeated MSU 68-59.
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado men's basketball used an 11-0 run in the first half to separate themselves from Montana State and then made winning plays in the final five minutes to earn their first Big Sky win of the season. The Bears defeated MSU 68-59 to improve to 8-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
Three Bears finished the night in double-figures scoring led by the 17 points of Jonah Radebaugh. He finished with a stat sheet stuffing line of 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
UNC trailed by one nearing the midway point of the first half when the team went on an 11-0 run to go up by 10 with 7:45 on the clock. The Bears defense forced two turnovers and blocked one shot during the run as MSU went 0-for-3 during it.
Northern Colorado has made the first half buzzer-beater a habit as Bodie Hume made his second in two games and team's fourth in five games to have the Bears leading 36-26 at the half.
Montana State made a run at the Bears in the second half by cutting the lead to four with 10:22 left in, but never any closer than that. Trent Harris sparked UNC with five points of a quick 6-0 run that put the team back up 10.
Down the stretch, Northern Colorado made the plays when they needed it. Kai Edwards grabbed the offensive rebound and laid it in with 3:30 remaining to keep the UNC lead at eight. Meanwhile, Harris chased down Mychael Paulo on a fast break to block the layup attempt to all but secure the win for UNC with 1:11 left.
What They Said
Stat of the Game
Northern Colorado grabbed seven offensive rebounds leading to 11 second chance points. Four of those rebounds came in the second half along with seven of the points.
Game Notes
- Jonah Radebaugh continued to show why he is the defensive king in the Big Sky, holding Montana State's Harald Frey to just five points despite coming into Thursday's contest averaging 17.5.
- Kai Edwards was a man on a mission when it came to cleaning the glass. He grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds including four on the offensive end. He added seven points.
- UNC turned the ball over a season-low five times.
- Trent Harris had a strong night off the bench scoring 10 points to go with a career-high in rebounds and blocks with six and two, respectively. He also had a pair of assists.
- Bodie Hume was the third Bear to score in double-digits finishing with 14 to go with his six rebounds, two assists and a block.
Around the Big Sky
There were two other Big Sky games on Thursday night as Montana visited Southern Utah and Portland State traveled to Idaho. Montana squeaked past Southern Utah 60-58, while Idaho held serve on their home court 72-61 over the Vikings.
What's Ahead
The Bears close out the week by hosting Montana on Saturday. UNC and UM are set for a 7 pm tip. The game is the Big Sky Game of the Week televised on Eleven Sports.
Tickets for the game and all UNC men's basketball games can be purchased at UNCBears.com/Tickets, by calling 970-351-4849 or visiting the UNC Ticket Office located in the Campus Commons, (M-F, 10 am - 5 pm). All ticket purchases may include fees.
To stay up to date on all things UNC men's basketball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Three Bears finished the night in double-figures scoring led by the 17 points of Jonah Radebaugh. He finished with a stat sheet stuffing line of 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
UNC trailed by one nearing the midway point of the first half when the team went on an 11-0 run to go up by 10 with 7:45 on the clock. The Bears defense forced two turnovers and blocked one shot during the run as MSU went 0-for-3 during it.
A 3 pointer by @bodiehume gives the Bears a 24-14 lead over MSU with 7:40 left in the half!🏀#GoUNCBears #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/uR0Tvm8IIu
— UNC Men's Basketball (@UNC_BearsMBB) January 3, 2020
Northern Colorado has made the first half buzzer-beater a habit as Bodie Hume made his second in two games and team's fourth in five games to have the Bears leading 36-26 at the half.
Bears ended up with a 10 point lead going into the half with another three from @bodiehume 🏀🐻#GoUNCBears #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/qjYMd0epWF
— UNC Men's Basketball (@UNC_BearsMBB) January 3, 2020
Montana State made a run at the Bears in the second half by cutting the lead to four with 10:22 left in, but never any closer than that. Trent Harris sparked UNC with five points of a quick 6-0 run that put the team back up 10.
A three by Trent Harris gives the Bears a 47-41 lead!👏#GoUNCBears #BigSkyMBB pic.twitter.com/Bj4dWd9XAV
— UNC Men's Basketball (@UNC_BearsMBB) January 3, 2020
Down the stretch, Northern Colorado made the plays when they needed it. Kai Edwards grabbed the offensive rebound and laid it in with 3:30 remaining to keep the UNC lead at eight. Meanwhile, Harris chased down Mychael Paulo on a fast break to block the layup attempt to all but secure the win for UNC with 1:11 left.
What They Said
Stat of the Game
Northern Colorado grabbed seven offensive rebounds leading to 11 second chance points. Four of those rebounds came in the second half along with seven of the points.
Game Notes
- Jonah Radebaugh continued to show why he is the defensive king in the Big Sky, holding Montana State's Harald Frey to just five points despite coming into Thursday's contest averaging 17.5.
- Kai Edwards was a man on a mission when it came to cleaning the glass. He grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds including four on the offensive end. He added seven points.
- UNC turned the ball over a season-low five times.
- Trent Harris had a strong night off the bench scoring 10 points to go with a career-high in rebounds and blocks with six and two, respectively. He also had a pair of assists.
- Bodie Hume was the third Bear to score in double-digits finishing with 14 to go with his six rebounds, two assists and a block.
Around the Big Sky
There were two other Big Sky games on Thursday night as Montana visited Southern Utah and Portland State traveled to Idaho. Montana squeaked past Southern Utah 60-58, while Idaho held serve on their home court 72-61 over the Vikings.
What's Ahead
The Bears close out the week by hosting Montana on Saturday. UNC and UM are set for a 7 pm tip. The game is the Big Sky Game of the Week televised on Eleven Sports.
Tickets for the game and all UNC men's basketball games can be purchased at UNCBears.com/Tickets, by calling 970-351-4849 or visiting the UNC Ticket Office located in the Campus Commons, (M-F, 10 am - 5 pm). All ticket purchases may include fees.
To stay up to date on all things UNC men's basketball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Team Stats
MSU
UNC
FG%
.479
.464
3FG%
.308
.261
FT%
.900
.556
RB
29
32
TO
12
5
STL
1
3
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
F
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