Northern Colorado falls to NAU on the road

Saturday, January 28

Flagstaff, Ariz.

1 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

7-14,2-7Big Sky

Northern Arizona

6-16,2-7Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Northern Ariz.

Photo by: Jam David

1/28/2023 3:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The Northern Colorado men's basketball team dropped an 83-73 decision to Northern Arizona on Saturday afternoon.

UNC faced a 19-point deficit at halftime, but the Bears responded well in the second half, cutting NAU's lead to six. The Bears shot 32.3% in the first half, but hit 17-of-33 (51.5%) in the second half.

Northern Arizona shot 50.9% in the contest, their best mark in conference play this season.

BY THE NUMBERS

Dalton Knecht finished the contest with 27 points, scoring 21 in the second half alone.
Daylen Kountz scored 15 points, while Matt Johnson II finished third on the team in scoring with 12 points.
UNC recorded no steals in the first half, but had five in the second half.

ACCORDING TO COACH SMILEY
"Definitely disappointed in the loss. This was a big game for us, with a great opportunity to move higher up in the standings as we hit the halfway point."

"I thought early on we competed well and executed on offense, but didn't get enough stops and missed some easy shots that would have created some much-needed separation for us. We went really cold midway through the first half, which also affected our defense in transition."

"Being down big at half, I'm proud of the guys for cutting the deficit back to six with plenty of time left, but we didn't play well enough down the stretch to get it done. To win on the road in this league, we just need to play better in all phases. It's as simple as that."

UP NEXT
Northern Colorado remains on the road for next weekend, traveling to Montana on Thursday, Feb. 2. Tip-off against the Grizzlies is set for 7p.m. (MT). Fans can watch the game live on ESPN+ or listen live on 1310-AM/103.1-FM KFKA.