Whyte and Davis lead charge but Bears fall to Idaho State

Monday, December 14

Pocatello, ID

7 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

1-4,0-1Big Sky

Idaho State University

3-1,1-0Big Sky

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Northern Colo.	20	14	13	20	67
Idaho St.	21	20	16	17	74

12/14/2020 9:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: By Thomas Hoffman, UNCBears.com

POCATELLO, Idaho – In an effort led by sophomore Alecia Whyte, a shorthanded Northern Colorado squad turned in a valiant effort against Idaho State but ultimately fell, 74-67.

ISU jumped out to an early lead behind a barrage of three-pointers. The Bengals hit three deep balls before the first media timeout. Credit to the resiliency of head coach Jenny Huth's Bears, though, fighting back and bring the game within one, 20-21, after the first quarter.

One of those who stepped up in absence of UNC's normal starters was Alecia Whyte. Tallying a career-high 16 points, Whyte kept her team within striking distance of the Bengals. Not only did Whyte compile a mountain of points, but the Houston native also filled the stat sheet with three rebounds, two assists and two steals in her 22 minutes on the floor.

2Q | @aleciawhyte21 with back-to-back buckets and the Bears are back within 3!#BearsStrong #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/0xfQnp2XyJ
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) December 15, 2020

Fellow sophomore Alisha Davis was busy doing Alisha Davis things. Shooting 7-14 from the floor, Davis poured in 16 points and wiped the boards clean for 15 rebounds. It was the tenth double-double in her career.

3Q | Reka 👉 @alishaaa_5 #BearsStrong #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/sxUhUSaCzj
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) December 15, 2020

In the second half, Northern Colorado's freshmen joined in on the scoring effort. Hannah Simental splashed in two three's en route to her 10 points while Olivia Wikstrom knocked down one of her own on her way to an eight-point evening.

Elli Garnett even poured in a triple at the final buzzer.

4Q | @garnett_elli doing her best @KDTrey5 impression at the buzzer#BearsStrong #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/FmBWkbrtlw
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) December 15, 2020

Though coach Huth only had eight players at her disposal Monday evening, she was gifted an extremely balanced effort offensively. By the final Buzzer, three Bears (Davis, Whyte and Simental) landed in double figures while transfer Reka Soos added nine along with Wikstrom's eight.

Game Notes

Alecia Whyte tallied a career-high 16 points.
Carding her tenth career double-double, Alisha Davis grabbed 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Freshman Hannah Simental scored in double figures for the second time in this young season.
Casper College transfer by way of Zsombo, Hungary, Reka Soos collected her first points as Bear, notching career highs in points (9), rebounds (3) and minutes (13).
For the fourth time in five games this season, Northern Colorado outscored its opponents in the paints (38/36).
UNC's bench continues to produce for coach Huth. The Bears outscored the Bengals 22-14 in the category. Only once this season has Northern Colorado's bench failed to eclipse its opponent.

What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado gets another crack at Idaho State. The Bears will reset for a rematch slated for Wednesday, December 16 at 5 p.m. MT.

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