Men's Hoops Holds Off Pacific to Open 2021-22 Season

Wednesday, November 10

Honolulu, Hawaii

7:30 pm MT

University of Northern Colorado

1-0,0-0Big Sky

Pacific

0-1,0-0WCC

Northern Colo.

Pacific

Photo by: Ryan Pfeifer

11/10/2021 9:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

UNC Men's Basketball earned the 67-65 win on Wednesday

By: By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

Honolulu, Hawaii – Fast start, resilient finish. That's how Northern Colorado Men's Basketball started the 2021-22 season picking up a 67-65 win over Pacific in the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic.

Northern Colorado jumped out to a 16-0 lead, making its first six shots of the game. While the early cushion was nice the Bears had to dig deep to earn the win as the Tigers battled back to take the lead by midway through the second half.

Bodie Hume and Matt Johnson II helped UNC reclaim the lead with a 6-0 run. Then it was Johnson II and Daylen Kountz who closed the game scoring the team's final eight points.
Kountz finished with a game-high 22 points while Johnson II wasn't too far behind with 17 of his own.

The duo of Johnson II and Kountz attacked the basket to score those final eight points while the defense clamped down in the final minutes. Hume came up with the game-winning block as Pacific tried the intentional miss on a free throw and recorded the rebound before the buzzer-beating block.

What They Said
Head Coach Steve Smiley
What helped the team get out to the fast start?
The guys were locked in to start and had a great mental approach getting into it.

How do you think the team responded down the stretch after Pacific took the lead?
After Pacific took lead, the guys had to really dig in and find a way. It's easy when you're up early. Losing that lead was hard, and our guys showed great resolve to push through. It's ultimately a game of runs.

What were your thoughts during the last possession and fouling up three to the game-winning block by Bodie?
We always believe in fouling up three in that situation. We had the right situation, we just didn't secure the intentional missed 2nd free throw. Bodie's block to save the game was unreal. The ultimate winning play!

Stat of the Game
Northern Colorado's big four of Bodie Hume, Kur Jongkuch, Daylen Kountz and Matt Johnson II combined for 65 of UNC's 67 points.

Game Notes
- In his first game as a Bear Dalton Knecht started and drained the first three of the year for UNC. He went on to score six including a couple of key baskets in the second half.
- Kur Jongkuch extended his double-double streak to seven games with 10 points and 12 rebounds. He also matched his career-high for assists with three.
- Daylen Kountz finished four points shy of his career-high. He did make a career-best 11 shots.
- Matt Johnson II picked up where he left off last year with 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and three made threes.
- With the win, UNC evens the all-time series with Pacific at 1-1.

What's Ahead
The Bears continue their time in Hawaii by taking on the hosts Rainbow Warriors on Thursday at 10 pm MT.

Northern Colorado's home opener is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 15 at 6 pm against Colorado College. Tickets to the game and for the 2021-22 season are available at UNCBears.com/Tickets.