Simental and Co. sink Samford with second-half surge

Friday, November 26

Greeley, Colo.

2 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

2-3,0-0Big Sky

Samford University

1-5,0-0SoCon

Samford

Northern Colo.

11/26/2021 5:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: By Thomas Hoffman, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – Hunting for a 'W' on Black Friday, Northern Colorado found just what it was looking for and then some, getting career highs from Hannah Simental and Kurstyn Harden en route to a 64-49 win over Samford.

It took a minute for the Bears to find its rhythm.

While UNC shot below 20 percent from the floor, stifling defense and eight points combined from Harden and Sabine Lipe had the home squad just three points down at the end of the first quarter.

Fueled by an energetic crowd at the Bank of Colorado Arena, the open looks that the Bears couldn't seem to drain in the opening quarter started to find the bottom of the net.

Micayla Isenbart, Allie Downing and Simental all found their strokes from long-range.

In fact, as a group, the Bears shot an even 50 percent (7-14) in the second quarter and flipped the contest, earning a three-point lead at the midway mark.

UNC's lead was almost four when Harden showed she's not just a dominant post threat, knocking down a buzzer-beater from the top of the key. A couple of inches back and it would've been the Texas native's first career-three.

Days after matching her career-best with 11 points against San Francisco, Harden managed to set a new personal record, finishing with 12 against the Bulldogs.

Northern Colorado forced seven turnovers in the third quarter alone, finishing 14 steals and a season-high 24 turnovers forced.

Hannah Simental's previous career was 19 entering Friday afternoon and the sophomore from Pueblo, Colorado very nearly equaled that in the second half.

Simental poured in eight of 20 points in the third quarter and another nine in the fourth as UNC wasn't about to let its second consecutive home win out of sight.

Alexis Chapman added some clutch isolation buckets to begin the fourth quarter. Northern Colorado attacked the paint with force, particularly in the second half, outscoring Samford 16-10 in the painted area.

Scintillating offense led to bucket after bucket in the final frame. UNC slammed the door shut on any thought of a Bulldog comeback shooting 7-9 in the fourth quarter and making sure its home record remained spotless with the 64-49 win.

Stat of the Game
While Simental and Harden were busy collecting career-highs, Northern Colorado's bench was putting on an equally impressive performance. Outscoring Samford 26-8, UNC's bench has now bested its opponent in three straight games.

What They Said
Hannah Simental, Kurstyn Harden and head coach Kristen Mattio

UNC Athletics · Womens Basketball Postgame - Samford (11/26/21)

Game Notes

Hannah Simental set a new career-high with 20 points.
Simental's three assists matcher her career-best
Simental has hit at least one three in five straight games, equaling her longest such streak.
Kurstyn Harden set a new career-high with 12 points.
Micayla Isenbart's three assists were a season-high.
The Bears forced a season-high 23 turnovers.
Eighteen assists set a new season-high for UNC.
Northern Colorado's bench has outscored its opponent in three straight games.
UNC has outrebounded its opponent in every game this season.

What's Ahead
A pair of Big Sky matchups are on the horizon with Northern Colorado traveling to Montana State and Montana on December 2 and 4. UNC will be back in Greeley on December 13 against Oklahoma Panhandle State. Tickets are available at UNCBears.com/Tickets.

To stay up to date on all things UNC Women's basketball, visit UNCBears.com, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the new UNC Athletics app by clicking here.