Women's Basketball brings winning streak back to Bank of Colorado Arena

Saturday, February 5

Greeley, Colo.

2 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

Northern Arizona

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2/4/2022 1:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball

ESPN+LIVE STATS GAME NOTES

By: By Thomas Hoffman, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – Riding a two-game winning streak that ended a marathon of a road trip, Northern Colorado returns to Bank of Colorado Arena for a rematch with Northern Arizona. Saturday also marks women's basketball's Play for Kay game.

Game Info
Who: vs Northern Arizona (9-10, 6-5)
When: February 5 at 6 p.m. MT
Where: Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNC_BearsWBB

Opening Tip
Kurstyn Harden is becoming a consistent problem for defenses around the Big Sky. Across the recent five-game road trip, Harden averaged 20.6 points and 9.8 rebounds, collecting a double-double in four of the five games. The Texas native also recorded an incredibly 22-point fourth quarter at Sacramento State.

Hannah Simental has been equally as impressive, averaging 15.6 points over the five-game stint. Simental was also a cool 25-for-28 at the free-throw line.

With Harden's help, UNC's paint dominance has been a significant portion of the Bears' winning streak. Nine times, Northern Colorado has outscored its opponent in the paint this year, going 8-1 in those contests.

The Bears' defense continues to make strides. After holding Portland State to just 51 points and 3-of-21 shooting beyond the arc, UNC remains the second-best defense in the Big Sky but has moved up to No. 87 in the country. Northern Colorado's three-point defense is especially stellar, ranking 68th in the nation and No. 1 in the Big Sky, allowing .281 entering Saturday.

Last Time Out
Clutch fourth-quarter performances from Hannah Simental and Kurstyn Harden propelled the Bears to its second consecutive victory. Harden collected her sixth double-double on the season as UNC capped off its five-game road trip in style.

Scouting the Lumberjacks
Northern Arizona had won two straight before hitting a wall against UNC. Following the loss to the Bears, the Lumberjacks dropped a 14-point affair to Sacramento State.

Khiarica Rasheed still ranks in the top-5 in the conference in field goal percentage at .485. However, it's been UC Santa Barbara transfer Nina Radford who's been lighting it up beyond the three-point arc. Radford is sixth in the country in three-point field goal percentage at .459. She also averages 2.12 made three's a game. Radford did not play in the first meeting with the Bears.

Regan Schenck is No. 2 in the Big Sky in assists, averaging 5.2 per contest in conference play. Schenck is also second in the conference in minutes at 36.5 per game.

History against Northern Arizona
It's only been four days since the Bears took on the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff. The then conference-leading offense was stifled by the Northern Colorado defense as UNC held NAU to a season-low 49 points. Kurstyn Harden recorded her fifth double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds while Simental added 16 of her own.

With the win, Northern Colorado now holds a 23-9 all-time record against its 'Northern' counterpart.

What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado stays at home with two games at Bank of Colorado Arena next week, beginning with Portland State on Monday, February 7. The game is a part of a doubleheader with men's basketball. The women's game tips at 5:30 pm and men at 7:30 pm. 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.