Year in Review: Women's Basketball

Head coach Kristen Mattio finished out a successful first season at the helm of the Northern Colorado Women's Basketball program. Mattio's Bears earned an overall record of 15-16 with a conference mark of 9-11. Gaining a full head of steam before the Big Sky Tournament, UNC marched into Boise and knocked off Eastern Washington and No. 1 seeded Idaho State to reach the semifinals.

Alexis Chapman completed her outstanding career in the Blue and Gold. Early in the season against Colorado State, Chapman eclipsed the 1,000-point mark, becoming just the 20th Bear in program history to do so.

Every team faces adversity during the season but you'd be hard-pressed to find a harder road trip in the country than what Northern Colorado persevered through in 2021-22. Beginning with a trip to Sacramento State, the Bears were on the road for 11 straight days, covering four states and over 2,000 miles. In the end, UNC emerged 3-2 from the marathon and firmly grabbed the attention of the rest of the Big Sky.

There is no purer jump shot in the Big Sky Conference than Hannah Simental. The sophomore poured in threes to the tune of 42.5 percent in 2021-22, by far the best in the Conference and good enough for 14th-best in the Country.

Mattio's defense quickly became one of the most formidable in the Big Sky. Fifteen times, the Bears held their opponents below 60 points, including five separate occasions when they kept teams below 50.

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.