Harden drops a 30-piece, Bears can't run down Hornets

Monday, January 24

Sacramento, Calif.

8 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

5-9,1-5Big Sky

Sacramento State

8-9,4-4Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Sacramento St.

Photo by: Jam David

1/24/2022 10:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: By Thomas Hoffman, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – Kurstyn Harden muscled in 22 fourth-quarter points but it wasn't enough to overcome Sacramento State as the Bears dropped its road affair, 69-62.

Hannah Simental and Allie Downing picked right up where the duo left off against Eastern Washington to begin the night. Each splashed in a three in the opening quarter.

Downing also flexed her muscles on the defensive end of the floor, turning in her second block of the season in emphatic fashion.

Q2 | GET OUT OF @allie_downing17's HOUSE!!

UNC - 17
SAC - 26#GetUpGreeley 🐻🏀 pic.twitter.com/HTXHruX5oO
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) January 25, 2022

Meanwhile, six first-half points from Kurstyn Harden kept the Bears' presence in the paint and gave a little taste of what was to come later.

Neither team had much to offer offensively in the second quarter, leaving Northern Colorado a nine-point deficit, 29-20, at the break.

Callie Boyles gave UNC a lift in the third quarter. Five points, including a bucket from beyond the arc kept the Bears within shouting distance to start the fourth.

Needing a spark on both sides of the ball, Harden stepped up in a big way. Back-to-back buckets signaled what Hornets were in for as the Lufkin, Texas native had no intentions of leaving Sacramento with a loss.

Time after time, Harden bullied her way to the rim and scored with ease. The sophomore proved even-keeled at the charity stripe as well, knocking down free-throws left and right.

When the dust settled, Harden had poured in 22 points in the fourth quarter alone, finishing with a career-high 30 to go along with her 11 rebounds.

UNC trailed by as many as 15 in the second half but with Harden's determination, the Bears never let up.

A late steal from Alexis Chapman paved the way to a Jayce Gorzeman layup to bring Northern Colorado within five points with under a minute to play.

Sacramento State sunk too many free-throws however, dampening UNC's comeback effort to take the victory, 69-62.

Stat of the Game
Kurstyn Harden poured in a career-high 30 points, the most of any UNC player since Alisha Davis scored 31 against Weber State.

What They Said
Head Coach, Kristen Mattio
"Tonight was a tough battle against a Sacramento State team that really caught fire and shot the ball well from the perimeter. Kurstyn was special for us tonight and continues to give us an inside presence that proves to be one of the best in the conference. Her composure against a really good 6'5 post player elevated our entire team. I love the grit and toughness that we collectively showed in the fourth quarter! We will need that as we head to Utah to battle a very good Weber State team!"

Game Notes

Harden posted her third double-double of the season and the fourth for the Bears this year.
Hannah Simental also finished in double-figures with 11 points.
Downing extended her streak of hitting at least one three to nine games.
Northern Colorado outrebounded its opponent for the 11^th time this season.

What's Ahead
Grab some coffee Thursday morning when the Bears take on Weber State at 11 a.m. UNC will return to Bank of Colorado Arena on February 5, against Northern Arizona. Tickets can be purchased 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.