Strong finish erases slow start for Bears against Hornets

Thursday, February 11

Sacramento, CA

1 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

8-11,7-7Big Sky

Sacramento State

1-15,1-12Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Sacramento St.

Photo by: Leilani Herrera

2/11/2021 3:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

UNC women's basketball used a 22-4 run to defeat Sacramento State on Thursday

By: By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A 22-4 run at the end of the third and start of the fourth erased any doubt for Northern Colorado in their 67-50 win over Sacramento State Thursday afternoon.

The Bears offense started cold, not making a basket until the 4:19 mark of the first quarter and trailed 10-0. UNC shot 28.6% in the first quarter but went on to shoot 52.3% the rest of the game to pull away from the Hornets.

Nice drive from @BrooklynJenelle for our first points of the game! #BearsStrong #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/GLoOapZbBQ
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) February 11, 2021

Jasmine Gayles started the big run for Northern Colorado to close out the third and open the fourth scoring nine straight points. She led the team with 17 points off the bench including making three shots from behind the arc.

Make it 9⃣ straight for @jazgayles! #BearsStrong🐻🏀 #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/QlrkvQL4mM
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) February 11, 2021

UNC took its first lead of the game with 2:14 left in the first half off a Micayla Isenbart second chance basket. The Bears made their way back into the game thanks to strong defense as Sacramento State missed their first 10 shots in the second quarter and shot 23.5% in it.

Right place, right time for @micaylann. We have the lead! #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/dxqspCWJcA
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) February 11, 2021

The third quarter was a see-saw affair that saw the game tied at 40 inside the final minute before Gayles and the Bears went on their run to put away the game.

What They Said
Head Coach Jenny Huth
Overall thoughts on the game
I thought we adapted well without Mel and Alisha. We competed and stayed with our game plan for 40 minutes today. I am proud of our guard rebounding and we did well finishing the game strong.

How did the team respond to the slow start offensively?
We were a little out of sync to start the game. We had some open looks that just didn't go down and adjusting to the pace for sure.

What type of spark is Oliva Wikstrom starting to bring to this team off the bench?
Olivia works hard and she's staying the course and learning along the way. She has a scorers mindset and in a game like this, it's what we needed!

Stat of the Game
No matter the time of a game a 22-4 one is a decisive run. UNC held the Hornets to 1-of-10 shooting during the span and forced three turnovers.

Game Notes
- Olivia Wikstrom was a spark off the bench for UNC scoring four points in the first quarter when the team was struggling offensively. She finished with nine points and a career-high seven rebounds.

Hand down, man down, @Olivianwikstrom makes Sacramento State pay! #BearsStrong🐻🏀 #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/EFPVh0dRRy
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) February 11, 2021

- Hannah Simental scored 10 points in the game for the Bears. It is her eighth game this year scoring in double figures.
- Gayles had her 20th double-digit scoring game of her career and ninth of the season
- UNC grabbed 46 rebounds on Thursday. The third most on the season and sixth time this year grabbing 40-plus boards.

What's Ahead
The Bears and Hornets will hop on a plane and head to Greeley to complete the two-game series on Saturday. Tip-off between UNC and Sacramento State is set for noon.

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.