University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Saturday, December 3
Fort Collins, Colo.
2:30 p.m.
University of Northern Colorado
4-5,0-0Big Sky
88
at
83
Colorado State
6-3,0-0Mountain West
1
2
F
Northern Colo.
37
51
88
Colorado St.
34
49
83
Photo by: Jam David
UNC offense unstoppable in win at Colorado State
12/3/2022 5:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Hitting shots from all over the court, Northern Colorado scored a season high to defeat Colorado State, 88-83, in Moby Arena on Saturday.
After trailing 9-5 in the opening moments of play, Northern Colorado (4-5) used an 8-0 run to capture a lead that remained for the bulk of the contest.
The Bears held a 37-34 advantage at the break but unleashed a 3-point barrage coming back from the locker room to stake a 15-point edge.
The Bears went 7-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first five minutes of play in the second half with Dalton Knecht, Daylen Kountz, Riley Abercrombie, and Matt Johnson II all connecting from deep.
Knecht led the charge with three of the makes while Abercrombie chipped in with six of his eight points during that early stretch.
Still trailing by eight with less than eight minutes to play, Colorado State (6-3) held the Bears scoreless for a three-minute span to gain its first lead of the second half at 74-73 with 3:58 on the clock.
After two more lead changes, Kountz and Knecht drew trips to the line to form a six-point lead at 82-76. Kountz continued his aggressive play and scored nine of his team-high 27 points over the last 3:30 to seal the win.
Johnson II and Knecht each posted 18-point games with Johnson II adding a team-high five assists.
Overall, the Bears shot 57.1 percent from the floor and posted a 42.9 percent clip from 3-point range.
Today's victory was the first for UNC against CSU since 2015 and first in Moby Arena in over 35 years as the 1986 team defeated the Rams, 58-54, in Fort Collins.
Winners of three of their last four games, Northern Colorado will return to the court on Dec. 10 with a California trip to face CSUN.
After trailing 9-5 in the opening moments of play, Northern Colorado (4-5) used an 8-0 run to capture a lead that remained for the bulk of the contest.
The Bears held a 37-34 advantage at the break but unleashed a 3-point barrage coming back from the locker room to stake a 15-point edge.
The Bears went 7-of-7 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first five minutes of play in the second half with Dalton Knecht, Daylen Kountz, Riley Abercrombie, and Matt Johnson II all connecting from deep.
Knecht led the charge with three of the makes while Abercrombie chipped in with six of his eight points during that early stretch.
Still trailing by eight with less than eight minutes to play, Colorado State (6-3) held the Bears scoreless for a three-minute span to gain its first lead of the second half at 74-73 with 3:58 on the clock.
After two more lead changes, Kountz and Knecht drew trips to the line to form a six-point lead at 82-76. Kountz continued his aggressive play and scored nine of his team-high 27 points over the last 3:30 to seal the win.
Johnson II and Knecht each posted 18-point games with Johnson II adding a team-high five assists.
Overall, the Bears shot 57.1 percent from the floor and posted a 42.9 percent clip from 3-point range.
Today's victory was the first for UNC against CSU since 2015 and first in Moby Arena in over 35 years as the 1986 team defeated the Rams, 58-54, in Fort Collins.
Winners of three of their last four games, Northern Colorado will return to the court on Dec. 10 with a California trip to face CSUN.
Team Stats
UNC
CSU
FG%
.571
.517
3FG%
.429
.500
FT%
.882
.769
RB
35
20
TO
13
6
STL
0
4
Game Leaders
Pts
27
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballHead Coach Smiley, Jaron Rillie, Zach Bloch, and Isaiah Hawthorne Post Game Press Conference v Idaho
Sunday, February 23
Head Coach Steve Smiley, Jaron Rillie, and Quinn Denker Post Game Press Conference vs E Washington
Friday, February 21
Head Coach Steve Smiley, Quinn Denker, and Jaron Rillie Post Game Press Conference vs Montana State
Sunday, February 09
Langston Reynolds and Quinn Denker Post Game Press Conference vs NAU
Saturday, February 08
