Women's Basketball opens Big Sky Tournament with Eastern Washington

Calendar

Nov 3

5 p.m. MT

Women's Basketball

vs Northern New Mexico College

Nov 8

2 p.m. MT

Women's Basketball

vs Lamar

Nov 11

6 p.m. MT

Women's Basketball

vs Bethany College (Kan.)

Nov 14

6 p.m. MT

Women's Basketball

vs Denver

Nov 21

TBD

Women's Basketball

vs Campbell University

Nov 22

TBD

Women's Basketball

at DePaul University

Nov 25

7 p.m. | 6 p.m. MST

Women's Basketball

at Arizona

Nov 28

6 p.m. MT

Women's Basketball

vs Chadron State

Dec 3

6 p.m. MT

Women's Basketball

vs Kansas City

GREELEY, Colo. – Survive and advance is the name of the game as Northern Colorado begins its quest for a second Big Sky Tournament Title on Monday.

Game Info
Who: vs Eastern Washington (9-21, 7-13)
When: March 7 at 2:30 p.m. MT
Where: Boise, ID | Idaho Central Arena
How To Follow: LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | UNC_BearsWBB

Opening Tip
Hannah Simental capped off one special regular season in the Blue and Gold. The Pueblo, Colorado native led the team in scoring with 14.4 per game, shot 41.2 percent from the floor, 41.3 percent from three and 90.3 percent from the free-throw line. Simental ranks 10th in the nation in free-throw percentage.

Alexis Chapman has found her form at the right time. Over the last three games, Chapman is averaging 18.7 points per contest, including tying her career-best with 23 in UNC's win over Montana.

Head coach Kristen Mattio's team was the best in shooting and guarding the perimeter during the regular season. The Bears led with the way with a 35.8 percentage from distance while only allowing a 27.6 during Big Sky play.

Northern Colorado has been cleaning the glass all season long. Each of the Bears' 13 wins has come when they outrebound their opponent and its +4.1 rebound margin ranks third in the conference and No. 78 in the country

Last Time Out
Four Bears scored in double figures as head coach Kristen Mattio and the Bears capped off the regular season with a resounding, 71- 63, victory over Montana State.

Scouting the Eagles
After beating UNC, Eastern Washington dropped two tough games against Sacramento State and Northern Arizona.

First-year head coach Joddie Gleason's squad is still turning out solid performances, though. The Eagles finished the year as the third-best defense in terms of opponent field goal percentage (38.3), one spot above UNC.

Jaydia Martin leads the three-point barrage for the Eagles. Martin ended the regular season with 212 three-point attempts, the most in the Big Sky and 15th-most in the nation. With 65 makes, the freshman led the conference in total number of made threes.

Jacinta Buckley finished fourth in the Big Sky rebounding battle, averaging 8.7 per game.

History against Eastern Washington
The Eagles snapped the Bears' five-game win streak over EWU with its victory last month. However, UNC still owns an all-time record of 20-12 versus Eastern Washington.

Twice these two teams have met during the postseason. Most recently, the Eagles outlasted the Bears, 59-57, in Boise back in 2019. Monday represents the neutral series' rubber match with the record standing at 1-1 in the Big Sky Tournament between the two programs.

Bears in Boise (Tournament)
Last season, Northern Colorado got by Southern Utah, 63-59, before falling to eventual champion Idaho State.

UNC boasts a 10-9 record in the Big Sky Tournament since joining the conference in the 2006-07 season. In Boise specifically, the Bears are an even 2-2.

What's Ahead?
Should Northern Colorado advance to round two, the Bears will meet Idaho State at Noon MT on Tuesday, March 8.

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.