Bears continue road slate with Wildcats in Ogden

Thursday, January 27

Ogden, Utah

11 a.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

Weber State

1/26/2022 1:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball

ESPN+LIVE STATS GAME NOTES

By: By Thomas Hoffman, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – Grab a cup of coffee for a morning full of basketball as Northern Colorado takes on Weber State at 11 a.m. Thursday morning.

Game Info
Who: at Weber State (7-11, 3-6)
When: January 27 at 11 a.m. MT
Where: Ogden, UT
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNC_BearsWBB

Opening Tip
Kurstyn Harden posted a career-high 30 points and secured her third double-double of the season with 11 rebounds on Monday against Sacramento State. Incredibly, her effort included 22 fourth-quarter points.

Northern Colorado continues to clean the glass night after night. The Bears boast a +6.4 rebounding margin which is not only top three in the conference but also No. 49 in the nation.

Head coach Kristen Mattio's squad loves the three-ball but the Bears are also one of the most efficient teams from beyond the arc. Since Big Sky play began, UNC in No. 1 in the conference in three-point field goal percentage at .374 and No. 2 in made threes per contest with 8.2. Individually, both Hannah Simental and Allie Downing rank in the top five in three-point shooting with Simental No. 30 in the nation with a 41.8 percentage from downtown.

Downing's six made three's earlier in December against Montana State remain the second-most made three's in a game this season in the conference.

Last Time Out
Kurstyn Harden turned in one of the most impressive performances of the years, pouring in 22 fourth-quarter points against the Hornets. The Lufkin, Texas native finished with a game-high 30 but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit as the Bears dropped its road matchup, 69-62, to Sacramento State.

Scouting the Wildcats
Fourth-year head coach Velaida Harris has her team 3-6 in Big Sky play entering Thursday's matchup. Despite the Wildcats dropping each of their last five games, Weber State is coming off a narrow overtime loss to second-place Southern Utah on Monday.

Junior forward Daryn Hickok leads the way offensively for the Wildcats. In nine Big Sky games, Hickok is averaging 16.4 points per game, the fourth-best in the conference. Meanwhile, fellow junior Jadyn Matthews has been busy pulling down the rebounds. With 9.3 per contest, Matthews is No. 2 in the Big Sky.

As a team, Weber State emphasizes getting to the free-throw line. The Wildcats are first in the conference in both free throw attempts and free throws made. In fact, with 268 on the season, WSU is No. 13 in the nation in free throws made.

History against Weber State
Northern Colorado boasts a 24-14 record against the Wildcats and has won each of the last four meetings.

What's Ahead?
The Bears continue its road slate with a trip up north to Idaho State on Saturday, January 29. UNC returns 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.