Spartans stall Bears in second half

Saturday, November 19

Greeley, Colo.

2 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

1-3,0-0Big Sky

San Jose State

4-1,0-0Mountain West

San Jose St.

Northern Colo.

Photo by: Jam David

11/19/2022 5:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

UNC Athletics · MBSK Postgame vs. San Jose State: Steve Smiley

GREELEY, Colo.— Despite a combined 40 points from tandem Daylen Kountz and Dalton Knecht, Northern Colorado fell to San Jose State, 80-69, inside the Bank of Colorado Arena on Saturday.

In a back-and-forth battle throughout, San Jose State (4-1) used a 10-point run late in the contest to create the final separation.

Using efficient shooting from beyond the 3-point line and generating 18 trips to the free throw line, Northern Colorado (1-3) led by as many as eight points in the first half.

Tied 41-41 at the break, the game remained knotted up until the final 10 minutes of play.

A Matt Johnson II layup gave the Bears its final lead at 55-53, but a five-minute offensive drought allowed the Spartans to generate a double-digit lead with four minutes remaining.

Daylen Kountz and Dalton Knecht each posted 20-point performance for the Bears. Knecht converted 4-of-8 from distance while Kountz made 7-of-9 from the charity stripe after drawing six fouls with his attacks.

Johnson II finished with 14 points and teammate Riley Abercrombie chipped in with an even dozen.

The Bears will return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 22 when they host Colorado Christian. Opening tip against the Cougars is set for 6 p.m. MT.