Men's Basketball Mental Toughness Leads Them Over South Dakota

Tuesday, December 7

Greeley, Colo.

6:00 pm

University of Northern Colorado

6-5,2-0Big Sky

South Dakota

5-4,0-0Summit League

South Dakota

Northern Colo.

Photo by: Ryan Pfeifer

12/7/2021 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

UNC men's basketball closed a three games in six day stretch 3-0

By: By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado men's basketball showed its mental fortitude Tuesday night to earn a 74-69 win over South Dakota to finish 3-0 on their homestand and improve to 6-5 on the year. The Bears withstood a 13-0 run from the Yotes and closed out the game with clutch plays on both ends.

UNC used a 9-0 run in the first half to gain an eight-point advantage on USD by the eight-minute mark. The lead expanded to as much as 11 in the half. The Blue & Gold took a 35-27 lead into the break.
Northern Colorado built its lead to as much as 14 in the second half, but South Dakota chipped away before going on a 13-0 run. From 11:53 until 5:54 UNC was held scoreless and saw their lead turn into a one-point deficit. The Bears never gave in though.

🔄🔄🔄@mattoraw23 | #GetUpGreeley🐻🏀 pic.twitter.com/hOebDYLsF4
— UNC Men's Basketball (@UNC_BearsMBB) December 8, 2021

Having already played in eight games decided by nine points or less this year the team stayed calm, cool and collected down the stretch. Featuring three ties and two lead changes down in the final minutes, UNC's switching to a zone defense paid off.

Offensively Dalton Knecht and Daylen Kountz game up with back-to-back key points for the Bears. Knecht hit a pair of free throws for the team with 2:27 remain and Kountz came down the court the next possession to nail a three making it a five-point game.

Heat check 🔥@DaylenKountz2 | #GetUpGreeley🐻🏀 pic.twitter.com/Q1DMK0cVIK
— UNC Men's Basketball (@UNC_BearsMBB) December 8, 2021

It turned into a late 7-0 run for UNC that earned them the win as Matt Johnson II and Kountz iced the game at the free throw line.

What They Said

UNC Athletics · MBB Postgame vs South Dakota 12/7/21

Stat of the Game
South Dakota came into Tuesday night as one of the best teams in the nation scoring from the free throw line. The Bears held USD to just 3-of-5 from the line making them earn every basket.

Game Notes
- Daylen Kountz and 20-point games have become synonymous with each other in the 2021-22 season. He scored a season-high 24 points on Tuesday to lead the Bears, his seventh 20-point game of the year. Kountz was two off his career-best. He had a solid shooting night going 7-of-13 from the field including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. He took care of business at the free throw line going 7-of-8. Kountz added in four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
- Matt Johnson II had his best scoring game of the season. The senior scored 21 points making three 3s and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. He also tied for the team lead in assists with three.
- Bodie Hume did a little bit of everything scoring 10 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out three assists and recording one steal.

Dimes.#GetUpGreeley🐻🏀 pic.twitter.com/PKNwrIpqZZ
— UNC Men's Basketball (@UNC_BearsMBB) December 8, 2021

- Northern Colorado outscored South Dakota 20-0 in fast break points.
- The Bears have now won three straight in the series.

What's Ahead
UNC hits the road next week for a pair of PAC 12 showdowns against Arizona and Washington State.

The Bears return home just before Christmas to host Northern New Mexico on December 21st at 6 pm. Tickets to the game and all UNC men's basketball games can be purchased at UNCBears.com/Tickets.

To stay up to date on all things UNC Men's Basketball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.