Simental and Harden ice out Vikings for second straight victory

Thursday, February 3

Portland, Ore.

7 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

8-10,4-6Big Sky

Portland State

5-13,0-10Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Portland St.

Photo by: Scott Larson

2/3/2022 9:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: By Thomas Hoffman, UNCBears.com

PORTLAND, Ore. – Ending a seemingly never-ending road trip, Northern Colorado capped it off with an exclamation mark. Big-time performances from Kurstyn Harden and Hannah Simental cemented a 59-51 victory over Portland State to bring a winning streak back to Colorado.

Much like in Flagstaff, the Bears got off to a hot start in Portland. A 7-0 run that featured buckets from Micayla Isenbart, Allie Downing and Harden kickstarted the evening.

While Harden made her presence felt with five first-half rebounds, it was Callie Boyles who stepped up offensively for UNC.

The Denton, Texas native floated in and out of space, coaxing in eight points in the opening 20 minutes to lead the team.

Hannah Simental wasn't far behind. Two layups, a steal and a made three gave the sophomore seven early points.

Head coach Kristen Mattio's defense only surrendered a single three but neither side could find much of a cushion as the game remained knotted at 23 at the midway point.

Northern Colorado utilized a similar jolt it started the game as they did coming out of the locker room at halftime.

A 13-2 run from the Bears gave UNC its largest lead of the game and defensively, Mattio's crew kept Portland State silent for over five minutes.

After a relatively quiet first couple of quarters on the offensive side, Kurstyn Harden started to find another gear in the second half. The Lufkin, Texas native scored six in the third quarter but was just getting started.

Portland State wasn't going to go into the rainy night just yet, however. A 7-0 run leapfrogged the Vikings into the lead with just over four minutes to play.

Harden, Simental and company weren't about to have any of it, though.

Making a habit out of monster fourth-quarter performances, Harden piled up 10 points while Simental managed 11.

With the game clock waning, Simental was cool as ever, finishing 6-6 from the charity stripe. Her clutch free-throws sealed Northern Colorado's second-consecutive win, 59-51, to end a marathon road trip that saw the Bears go 3-2.

Stat of the Game
UNC was already the best team in the Big Sky guarding the three. Against a relatively good three-point shooting team, the Bears held Portland State to a mere 14 percent from deep (3-21).

Game Notes

Kurstyn Harden led all scorers with 19 points while collecting 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. UNC is 4-2 when she posts a double-double.
Hannah Simental scored 18 points, including a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line. It was the 13^th time she's reached double figures this season.
Callie Boyles provided a much-needed lift offensively, scoring eight first-half points and finishing with 10. It was the fourth time she's reached double figures.
Northern Colorado improves to 8-2 when leading after the third quarter.
UNC outscored its opponent in the paint for the ninth time this season. The Bears are 8-1 when doing so.

What's Ahead
UNC will (FINALLY) return to Bank of Colorado Arena on February 5, against the same Lumberjack team. 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.