University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, January 25
Moscow. Idaho
3 pm
University of Northern Colorado
74
at
53
Idaho
Photo by: Robert Dunlap
Slow Start Not a Problem for UNC Men's Basketball
1/25/2020 5:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jonah Radebaugh had a double-double with 12 points and 13 assists in UNC's win over Idaho
MOSCOW, Idaho – After going scoreless in the first 7:25 of their game Saturday afternoon, Northern Colorado scored 74 points in the final 32:35 to defeat Idaho 74-53. The win improves UNC's record to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in the Big Sky.
Jonah Radebaugh was the catalyst for the Bears offense all day long finishing with his third double-double of the season and second of the points-assists variety. He scored 12 points and dished out a career-high 13 assists.
The 3-point shot helped the Bears not only get back in the game but earn a halftime lead after falling behind 9-0 early on. An 11-2 run allowed the Bears to tie the contest as Trent Harris made a pair of threes during the run.
Harris finished the game with a team-high 17 points.
UNC shot 5-for-11 from behind the arc to end the half after starting it missing their first five attempts.
Northern Colorado's defense played well while the offense could not buy a basket to start the game forcing six turnovers in the first half as the team led 26-22 at the break.
The second half was all UNC as they shot 56.3 percent from the field and made eight 3-pointers to run away from the Vandals.
Northern Colorado went on a 10-2 run near the midway point of the second half to gain distance from Idaho and closed the door on the game with a 14-2 run late in the game.
What They Said
Head Coach Jeff Linder
On how the team handled the early shooting struggles
"We talk about how we responded with the team and I thought our response was great tonight. We never panicked and our guys were in a good place. We were getting great shots and thought 'okay, well at some point those will start to go in'. We hung our hat on our defense to help us weather the initial storm. After that, I thought we played a really good final 30 minutes of basketball."
About the team's complete effort
"It was a collective effort by us today. We talk about if we are going to separate ourselves from other teams in this conference it's going to take our effort and discipline. Then with that, you have to make winning plays. We made a lot of winning plays in the second half."
On Jonah Radebaugh's big game
"If I knew that Jonah would turn into Steve Nash once he was able to see I would have figured it out a lot faster. I don't know how it took us until his fifth year of college to learn he needed contacts to see that opposite corner, but Maddie our trainer got them for him and now you see the results. He made exceptional plays today snapping the ball around for us."
About Rodrick McCobb and Tre'Shon Smoots play off the bench
"Both Rodrick and Tre gave us good minutes today. I told Tre coming into the game to not think too much and worry about making mistakes. I knew he was going to make them but we needed his playmaking abilities. Then with Rod, I told him to keep being aggressive. We get mad at him when he turns down open shots and he had five big points for us today."
Stat of the Game
Northern Colorado did a great job of taking care of the ball on Saturday committing just four turnovers.
Game Notes
- Jonah Radebaugh's 13 assist game was his 10th game with five-plus and eighth with seven-plus assists on the year. The 13 assists also set the program's Division I record for assists in a game passing the previous one of 10 set by himself earlier this year and Jordan Davis in 2018.
- Radebaugh's double-double is the 10th of his career.
- Four Bears finished the game in double-figures scoring. Harris led the way with 17 points while Radebaugh had 12, Bodie Hume, 11, and Matt Johnson, 10.
- The win extends UNC's win streak over Idaho to five-games.
- Six different Bears made a 3-pointer on Saturday. Harris led the way with five while Hume (3), Johnson (2), Radebaugh (1), Rodrick McCobb (1) and Roy Grigsby (1) all chipped in.
Around the Big Sky
There was one other afternoon game in the Big Sky on Saturday as Eastern Washington defeated Southern Utah in overtime 81-78. Three more Big Sky games take place Saturday evening.
What's Ahead
The Bears close out their road trip when they face Eastern Washington on Monday night. UNC and EWU are set to tip-off at 7 pm MT.
UNC's next home game comes on January 30 against Idaho State at 7 pm. 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.
Jonah Radebaugh was the catalyst for the Bears offense all day long finishing with his third double-double of the season and second of the points-assists variety. He scored 12 points and dished out a career-high 13 assists.
The 3-point shot helped the Bears not only get back in the game but earn a halftime lead after falling behind 9-0 early on. An 11-2 run allowed the Bears to tie the contest as Trent Harris made a pair of threes during the run.
Harris finished the game with a team-high 17 points.
UNC shot 5-for-11 from behind the arc to end the half after starting it missing their first five attempts.
Northern Colorado's defense played well while the offense could not buy a basket to start the game forcing six turnovers in the first half as the team led 26-22 at the break.
The second half was all UNC as they shot 56.3 percent from the field and made eight 3-pointers to run away from the Vandals.
Northern Colorado went on a 10-2 run near the midway point of the second half to gain distance from Idaho and closed the door on the game with a 14-2 run late in the game.
What They Said
Head Coach Jeff Linder
On how the team handled the early shooting struggles
"We talk about how we responded with the team and I thought our response was great tonight. We never panicked and our guys were in a good place. We were getting great shots and thought 'okay, well at some point those will start to go in'. We hung our hat on our defense to help us weather the initial storm. After that, I thought we played a really good final 30 minutes of basketball."
About the team's complete effort
"It was a collective effort by us today. We talk about if we are going to separate ourselves from other teams in this conference it's going to take our effort and discipline. Then with that, you have to make winning plays. We made a lot of winning plays in the second half."
On Jonah Radebaugh's big game
"If I knew that Jonah would turn into Steve Nash once he was able to see I would have figured it out a lot faster. I don't know how it took us until his fifth year of college to learn he needed contacts to see that opposite corner, but Maddie our trainer got them for him and now you see the results. He made exceptional plays today snapping the ball around for us."
About Rodrick McCobb and Tre'Shon Smoots play off the bench
"Both Rodrick and Tre gave us good minutes today. I told Tre coming into the game to not think too much and worry about making mistakes. I knew he was going to make them but we needed his playmaking abilities. Then with Rod, I told him to keep being aggressive. We get mad at him when he turns down open shots and he had five big points for us today."
Stat of the Game
Northern Colorado did a great job of taking care of the ball on Saturday committing just four turnovers.
Game Notes
- Jonah Radebaugh's 13 assist game was his 10th game with five-plus and eighth with seven-plus assists on the year. The 13 assists also set the program's Division I record for assists in a game passing the previous one of 10 set by himself earlier this year and Jordan Davis in 2018.
- Radebaugh's double-double is the 10th of his career.
- Four Bears finished the game in double-figures scoring. Harris led the way with 17 points while Radebaugh had 12, Bodie Hume, 11, and Matt Johnson, 10.
- The win extends UNC's win streak over Idaho to five-games.
- Six different Bears made a 3-pointer on Saturday. Harris led the way with five while Hume (3), Johnson (2), Radebaugh (1), Rodrick McCobb (1) and Roy Grigsby (1) all chipped in.
Around the Big Sky
There was one other afternoon game in the Big Sky on Saturday as Eastern Washington defeated Southern Utah in overtime 81-78. Three more Big Sky games take place Saturday evening.
What's Ahead
The Bears close out their road trip when they face Eastern Washington on Monday night. UNC and EWU are set to tip-off at 7 pm MT.
UNC's next home game comes on January 30 against Idaho State at 7 pm. 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.
Players Mentioned
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