Bears' season comes to an end in Big Sky semifinals

Wednesday, March 9

Boise, Idaho

5:30 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

15-16,9-11Big Sky

Northern Arizona University

17-13,12-8Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Northern Ariz.

3/9/2022 8:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: By Thomas Hoffman, UNCBears.com

BOISE, Idaho – Northern Colorado nearly pulled off what would have been the largest comeback in school history on Wednesday. The Bears fought valiantly all evening long but couldn't quite get over the hump, falling to NAU, 72-67.

Northern Arizona rocketed out of the gates in the opening quarter shooting 57 percent from the floor, including 3-3 from beyond the three-point arc.

Despite the hot start from NAU, head coach Kristen Mattio's club started chipping away.

Kurstyn Harden went to work in the low post, scoring eight of the Bears' 12 points and a Micayla Isenbart layup at the buzzer brought the game back to seven, 19-12.

.@kurstyn_harden goes up strong for the first points of the game!#GetUpGreeley🐻🏀 pic.twitter.com/PVph7SMPzG
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) March 10, 2022

Isenbart and Hannah Simental each knocked down a three in the second quarter to bring Northern Colorado within three but another burst from the Lumberjacks pushed UNC's deficit out to double digits.

The Lumberjacks led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter before Simental and Bears made one big push.

Simental splashed in all three attempts she took from downtown as Northern Colorado brought it back to single digits. UNC outscored NAU 25-18 in the third and a 7-0 run late made it a game at 57-49.

Once more the Lumberjacks tried to put the Bears to bed but Simental and company weren't having any of it. A late 10-4 run through the final period brought UNC back within four with just over a minute and a half to play.

For Simental, the Pueblo native went out with a bang, pouring in a career-high 27 points. Her night included five threes, five rebounds and a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe.

.@hjsimental ARE YOU KIDDING??#GetUpGreeley🐻🏀 pic.twitter.com/Na4Rk44XPk
— UNC Bears WBB (@UNC_BearsWBB) March 10, 2022

NAU eventually close out the contest, 72-67, but UNC's resilient fight didn't go unnoticed.

Stat of the Game
Northern Colorado took control of the boards, particularly in the second half. UNC's 16 offensive rebounds led to 18 second-chance points for the Bears.

What They Said
Hannah Simental, Micayla Isenbart and head coach Kristen Mattio

UNC Athletics · WBB Postgame vs Northern Arizona 3/9/22

Game Notes

Hannah Simental collected a career-high 27 points.
Simental's five three's also tied her career-best
Simental extended her streak of at least one made three to 21 games and at least two made threes to 11 games.
Sabine Lipe tied her career-high with 10 rebounds.
UNC outrebounded its opponent for the 16^th time this season.
Kristen Mattio finishes 2-1 in her first trip to the Big Sky Tournament, tying Kamie Ethridge.
The Bears finish the month of March 4-1.

What's Ahead
That's a wrap on the 2021-22 season. UNC Women's Basketball will be back in action next fall.

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.