Bears unable to close out Thunderbirds

Thursday, February 4

Greeley, Colo.

6:30 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

7-11,6-7Big Sky

Southern Utah University

8-4,3-2Big Sky

Southern Utah

Northern Colo.

Photo by: Leilani Herrera

2/4/2021 9:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: By Thomas Hoffman, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado Women's Basketball was back at the Bank in front of a home crowd Thursday evening to face the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah. SUU spoiled the party, however, thanks to a big fourth quarter that handed them the victory, 70-63.

Despite not playing since January 23, Southern Utah raced out the gates to open the contest. The Thunderbirds shot 50 percent from the floor, including 2-5 from three-point range to take the early advantage.

SUU might've raced out to a double-digit lead if it weren't for the efforts of Olivia Wikstrom and Mele Finau. Coming off the bench, the duo combined for 13 points to keep the Bears within arm's reach.

1Q | @melfinau for 3⃣ AGAIN!#BearsStrong #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/vF9mdYV1Jc
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) February 5, 2021

Mele's energy wasn't limited to the offensive end either. The sophomore finished with nine points, five rebounds and a steal.

Jenny Huth's bench continued to bolster the Bears' effort in the second quarter. Alecia Whyte dialed up eight big points and at the break, UNC's second unit had outscored the Thunderbirds 21-6.

2Q | @aleciawhyte21 with the rebound and basket 😤#BearsStrong #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/jky166bfyY
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) February 5, 2021

After allowing 22 points in the opening stanza, Northern Colorado clamped its defense down in the second and third, allowing 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Part of that effort came in clearing the glass. Southern Utah entered Thursday evening as the best rebounding team in the conference with a margin of +9.8. The Bears finished with 36 compared to SUU's 41.

Northern Colorado's dominant forward Alisha Davis was up to her same tricks on Thursday. Fueling the second-half surge Davis scored 11 of her 13 points in the third and fourth quarters.

4Q | @alishaaa_5 with the bucket 💪💪#BearsStrong #BigSkyWBB pic.twitter.com/dj3qJ6wsp8
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) February 5, 2021

In the end, Southern Utah's execution down the stretch proved too much. SUU shot 44 percent from the field in the final quarter, scoring 23 points and grabbing the win, 70-63.

What They Said

Stat of the Game.
Points in the paint – Southern Utah did most of its damage down low, outscoring the Bears 44-26 in the painted area.

Game Notes

Alisha Davis notched her 10^th double-double of the season.
Northern Colorado's bench stepped up, outscoring the Thunderbirds 24-8.
UNC's defense held the Big Sky's leading scoring, Liz Graves, to just four points on the evening.
Freshman Olivia Wikstrom provided a nice lift off the bench, scoring seven points and pulling down two rebounds.

What's Ahead.
Northern Colorado will host the Thunderbirds once more on Saturday. The tip-off is scheduled for Noon MT.

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.