UNC Defeats Bengals on Senior Night, 87-72

Monday, February 27

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

11-19,6-12Big Sky

Idaho State

11-20,8-10Big Sky

Idaho St.

Northern Colo.

Photo by: Jam David

2/27/2023 8:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

GREELEY, Colo. – Playing in their last game at Bank of Colorado Arena, the Northern Colorado men's basketball senior class combined for 63 points in an 87-72 win over Idaho State on Monday night.

Daylen Kountz led the group with a season-high 27 points and seven rebounds.

Northern Colorado started the game off with intensity, as big man Theo Hughes made the first two buckets for UNC, posting up against ISU's Brayden Parker. The Bears held a 6-point lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, but the Bengals went on a 7-0 run to end the half with a buzzer beat to take a 39-38 lead into the locker room.

The Bears responded in the second half, going on an 8-0 run to start the half. Northern Colorado kept up the pressure and never relented the lead during the second half, building to their eventual 15-point lead at the final buzzer. UNC ended up shooting 73.1% from the field in the second half, hitting 32-of-58.

BY THE NUMBERS

Dalton Knecht finished second on the team in scoring with 18 points.
Matt Johnson II was third in scoring with 12 points.
UNC had six blocks, including three by Theo Hughes.
The Bears scored 50 points in the paint, compared to just 36 by ISU.

UP NEXT
Northern Colorado ends the regular season with a 11-19 overall record and a 6-12 mark in conference play. The Bears head to Boise, Idaho for the 2023 Big Sky Men's Basketball Championship this weekend, March 4-8, and enter the tournament as the No. 8 seed. UNC will play its first game on Saturday, March 4, taking on No. 7 seed Portland State at 8 p.m. (MT). The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. The winner of the contest will face Montana State on Sunday at 8 p.m.