Women's Basketball preps for another battle with Southern Utah

GREELEY, Colo. – It's defense versus offense once more as the Bears take the Big Sky's best defense into Cedar City to take on the Thunderbirds.

Game Info
Who: at Southern Utah (14-9, 10-4)
When: February 14 at 6:30 p.m. MT
Where: Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNC_BearsWBB

Opening Tip
Any open space on the perimeter and Hannah Simental will make you pay. The sophomore from Pueblo, Colorado currently ranks second in the Big Sky in three-point field goal percentage at an astounding .441. Simental is at No. 38 in the nation in the same category.

Meanwhile, Kurstyn Harden is taking care of all things in the painted area. Harden ranks third in overall field goal percentage (.522) and seventh in rebounding (7.6 per game).

Northern Colorado continues to set the pace defensively for the Big Sky. The Bears are allowing only 60.3 points per game since conference began. UNC is particularly adept in guarding the three-point line, allowing 28.2 percent from deep, best in the Big Sky and No. 70 in the country.

Expect a back-and-forth affair in Utah on Monday. The last time these two teams met, the game featured seven lead changes and seven ties before the game was decided in overtime.

Last Time Out
Hannah Simental led the Bears with 19 points while Jayce Gorzeman sparked the bench with 11, her second straight game in double figures. It wasn't enough to overcome Sacramento State, however, as the Hornets won 65-55.

Scouting the Thunderbirds
Since battling the Bears in overtime, Southern Utah has been in two more overtime games, winning all of them. Tracy Sanders' team remains one of the best scoring teams in the Big Sky at 71.6 points per game.

Part of SUU's success has been its dominance on the boards. The Thunderbirds are first in the Big Sky in rebound margin and total rebounds. Led by Darri Dotson and Lizzy Williamson, both top-five rebounders in the conference, the duo makes sure teams don't get any second-chance opportunities.

Offensively, Daylani Ballena and Cherita Daugherty both average 3.4 assists per game. As a team, Southern Utah ranks third in assists in the conference and top-100 in the country.

History against Southern Utah
In UNC's first bout with the Thunderbirds, the Bears held the Big Sky's best offense to just 67 points with the added overtime period. Simental recorded her career-high with 21 as Kurstyn Harden snatched her second double-double of the season in the OT loss.

All-time, Northern Colorado is 12-8 versus SUU with a 4-3 mark in Cedar City.

What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado returns to Bank of Colorado on Thursday, February 17 for a matchup with league-leading Idaho State. 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.

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Jayce Gorzeman

Kurstyn Harden

Hannah Simental

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