Monday Madness begins with Women's Basketball hosting Portland State

Monday, February 7

Greeley, Colo.

5:30 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

Portland State

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Photo by: Jam David

2/6/2022 12:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball

ESPN+LIVE STATS GAME NOTES

By: By Thomas Hoffman, UNCBears.com

GREELEY, Colo. – In the first of two games at Bank of Colorado Arena on Monday, Women's Basketball is looking to bounce back into the win column with the Vikings in town.

Game Info
Who: vs Portland State (4-14, 0-11)
When: February 7 at 5:30 p.m. MT
Where: Bank of Colorado Arena
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNC_BearsWBB

Opening Tip
Both Hannah Simental and Kurstyn Harden have established their dominance within the Big Sky Conference. Harden has posted four of her five double-doubles against conference opponents and has scored in double figures in six straight games. Meanwhile, Simental has reached double digits in seven straight contests.

It's been over two years since the Bears have last hosted the Vikings. With both games slated in Portland a season ago, Monday will be the first time PSU has stepped foot inside Bank of Colorado arena since December 28 of 2019.

There may not be a better player at the free-throw line than Simental in the Big Sky Conference. This season, the Pueblo native is shooting 88.1 percent from the charity stripe, 22nd-best in the nation. Not to mention, the sophomore is a cool 33-36 (91%) in the fourth quarter or overtime.

Not only do the Bears knock down the three-ball well but they also guard the perimeter with just as much effort. In conference play, UNC is allowing a Big Sky best 27.0 percent from deep.

Last Time Out
Northern Colorado produced its second-highest scoring output of the season and its highest in Big Sky play. Despite leading for more than 30 minutes, a late Northern Arizona surge gave the Lumberjacks the win.

Scouting the Vikings
Portland State is still looking for its first conference win of the season. After the loss to Bears on Thursday, first-year head coach Chelsey Gregg's crew fought tooth and nail against a red-hot Sacramento State team but fell, 73-62.

Look for Gregg's team to spread the ball around once again. Esmeralda Morales, Alaya Fitzgerald, Jada Lewis and Savannah Dhaliwal all average in double figures. Fitzgerald and Mia 'Uhila each reached double digits the last time these two teams met last week.

Lewis is PSU designated three-point shooter. The junior is first in the Big Sky in three-point field goals made (46) and three-point field goals per game (2.42).

History against Portland State
The last time these two teams met, UNC was ending a five-game road trip that took the Bears over 5,000 miles. Hannah Simental and Kurstyn Harden produced 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the final 10 minutes alone to close out the Vikings for the win. The victory improved Northern Colorado's record to 21-10 overall and 9-7 in Portland. UNC is 12-2 inside Bank of Colorado arena against PSU.

What's Ahead?
Northern Colorado stays at home with a matchup on Thursday, February 10 against Sacramento 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.