University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, February 2
Greeley, Colo.
6 p.m.
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Montana
Photo by: Jam David
Women's Hoops set to host Montana
2/1/2023 1:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado hosts Montana for the second of three-consecutive home games, taking on the Grizzlies Thursday for a 6 p.m. start time at Bank of Colorado Arena.
Series Record
Thursday marks the 30th contest between UNC and Montana, and the Bears hold a 15-19 record against the Grizz. UNC is 8-9 in home games versus Montana. The Bears' largest margin of victory in the series was a 65-46 win on Jan. 12, 2017. Recently, the series has been fairly even, with each team winning at home in the past four meetings.
Last Time vs. Montana (1/7/2023)
Hannah Simental scored a team-high 19 points in an 82-60 loss in Missoula. Aniah Hall scored a career-high 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, while Delaynie Bryne added seven points and a team-high six rebounds.
Winning at the Free-Throw Line
The Bears rank eighth in the country and first in the Big Sky in free-throw percentage and are converting 79.1 percent of their attempts. Hannah Simental is a near guarantee at the charity stripe and sports a 94.4 free-throw percentage, which ranks first in the conference and third nationally.
Simental & Company
Simental is the Bears' go-to scorer. The Pueblo native and guard is averaging a team-high 14.0 points to go with 3.4 rebounds per game. Simental has started and played in each game this season and is shooting 40.3 percent from the field and a dangerous 41.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Delaynie Bryne, a 6-foot-3 forward is busy in front of the basket. The Arvada native averages 13.0 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. Bryne is known to take high-quality shots and is shooting 47.0 percent from the floor, which is a team-high.
Avree Kleinhans is averaging 9.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while Gabi Fields is averaging 8.8 points and 3.5 boards per game.
Brief Look vs. Montana
The Grizzlies enter with a 11-10 overall record and 6-4 mark in conference play. Montana is on a two-game winning streak, having defeated Sacramento State (81-77) and Portland State (88-56) last weekend in Missoula. Carmen Gfeller leads her squad averaging 13.3 points per game, despite having only played in 16 games this season. Gfeller is shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 41.2 percent behind the arc. Sammy Fatkin is second among the Grizz with 12.3 points per game and is averaging 5.8 rebounds through 21 games played.
Other Notes
Simental Named to All-Big Sky Preseason Team
Simental is poised to challenge the very best in the conference in her junior campaign as positioned by the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference announcement on Thursday.
One of seven individuals recognized by the league, and one of only two non-seniors, Simental averaged 14.7 points per game last season to not only lead the Bears, but to rank No. 6 in the conference ledger.
An elite shooter from long range, Simental led the conference and was ranked No. 14 in the NCAA DI with a 42.3 percentage from deep. In addition, her 90.6 percent conversion rate from the free throw line stood as the No. 5 mark in the nation.
Simental was named to the Big Sky All-Tournament Team last season after guiding the Bears to a pair of postseason wins, including a 72-54 rout over No. 1-seeded Idaho State.
Bears Ink Tatum West
Coach Mattio welcomes yet another talent to their roster with the addition of Tatum West.
West will make her way to Greeley next fall by way of Combine, Texas and will bring a long list of accolades with her to Northern Colorado after becoming a four-year letterwinner for Crandall High School.
West is also the No. 22 ranked recruit in the state of Texas for the 2023 class according to Jason Keys and Premier Basketball. In her junior season, West averaged 16.9 points per game and 12 rebounds.
The 6'1" forward was also named First Team All-District three times, was voted Newcomer of the Year her freshman season, and earned District Defensive MVP last season. She is also a two-time Team MVP and Offensive MVP and surpassed the 1,000-point mark in her high school career last season.
In addition to her prolific high school career, West played AAU basketball for Higher Goals, one of the top AAU programs in Texas.
West chose UNC over multiple institutions including Montana State, Tarleton State, Incarnate Word, Texas State, New Mexico State, Fresno State, Binghamton, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Series Record
Thursday marks the 30th contest between UNC and Montana, and the Bears hold a 15-19 record against the Grizz. UNC is 8-9 in home games versus Montana. The Bears' largest margin of victory in the series was a 65-46 win on Jan. 12, 2017. Recently, the series has been fairly even, with each team winning at home in the past four meetings.
Last Time vs. Montana (1/7/2023)
Hannah Simental scored a team-high 19 points in an 82-60 loss in Missoula. Aniah Hall scored a career-high 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, while Delaynie Bryne added seven points and a team-high six rebounds.
Winning at the Free-Throw Line
The Bears rank eighth in the country and first in the Big Sky in free-throw percentage and are converting 79.1 percent of their attempts. Hannah Simental is a near guarantee at the charity stripe and sports a 94.4 free-throw percentage, which ranks first in the conference and third nationally.
Simental & Company
Simental is the Bears' go-to scorer. The Pueblo native and guard is averaging a team-high 14.0 points to go with 3.4 rebounds per game. Simental has started and played in each game this season and is shooting 40.3 percent from the field and a dangerous 41.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Delaynie Bryne, a 6-foot-3 forward is busy in front of the basket. The Arvada native averages 13.0 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. Bryne is known to take high-quality shots and is shooting 47.0 percent from the floor, which is a team-high.
Avree Kleinhans is averaging 9.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while Gabi Fields is averaging 8.8 points and 3.5 boards per game.
Brief Look vs. Montana
The Grizzlies enter with a 11-10 overall record and 6-4 mark in conference play. Montana is on a two-game winning streak, having defeated Sacramento State (81-77) and Portland State (88-56) last weekend in Missoula. Carmen Gfeller leads her squad averaging 13.3 points per game, despite having only played in 16 games this season. Gfeller is shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 41.2 percent behind the arc. Sammy Fatkin is second among the Grizz with 12.3 points per game and is averaging 5.8 rebounds through 21 games played.
Other Notes
Simental Named to All-Big Sky Preseason Team
Simental is poised to challenge the very best in the conference in her junior campaign as positioned by the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference announcement on Thursday.
One of seven individuals recognized by the league, and one of only two non-seniors, Simental averaged 14.7 points per game last season to not only lead the Bears, but to rank No. 6 in the conference ledger.
An elite shooter from long range, Simental led the conference and was ranked No. 14 in the NCAA DI with a 42.3 percentage from deep. In addition, her 90.6 percent conversion rate from the free throw line stood as the No. 5 mark in the nation.
Simental was named to the Big Sky All-Tournament Team last season after guiding the Bears to a pair of postseason wins, including a 72-54 rout over No. 1-seeded Idaho State.
Bears Ink Tatum West
Coach Mattio welcomes yet another talent to their roster with the addition of Tatum West.
West will make her way to Greeley next fall by way of Combine, Texas and will bring a long list of accolades with her to Northern Colorado after becoming a four-year letterwinner for Crandall High School.
West is also the No. 22 ranked recruit in the state of Texas for the 2023 class according to Jason Keys and Premier Basketball. In her junior season, West averaged 16.9 points per game and 12 rebounds.
The 6'1" forward was also named First Team All-District three times, was voted Newcomer of the Year her freshman season, and earned District Defensive MVP last season. She is also a two-time Team MVP and Offensive MVP and surpassed the 1,000-point mark in her high school career last season.
In addition to her prolific high school career, West played AAU basketball for Higher Goals, one of the top AAU programs in Texas.
West chose UNC over multiple institutions including Montana State, Tarleton State, Incarnate Word, Texas State, New Mexico State, Fresno State, Binghamton, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Players Mentioned
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