Bears Soar Past Eagles with 66-57 Victory

Saturday, January 25

Greeley, Colo.

2 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

9-10,2-6Big Sky

Eastern Washington

6-14,2-6Big Sky

Eastern Wash.

Northern Colo.

Photo by: Kassidy Schwartz, UNC Athletics

1/25/2025 5:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Final Game Book (PDF)Coach Mattio & Ella Van Weelden Presser

By: Brooke Richards, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – The Northern Colorado women's basketball team (9-10, 2-6 Big Sky) secured a 66-57 victory over Eastern Washington (6-14, 2-6 Big Sky) on Saturday afternoon at the Bank of Colorado Arena.

TOP PERFORMERS
Junior guard Ella Van Weelden led the Bears with 12 points, making four three's on 50% shooting from beyond the arc while adding five rebounds. Sophomore forward Tatum West scored seven and added six rebounds, and junior guard Julia Riley was two-for-two from the three point line for six points and six rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears set the tone early with a mid-range jumper from Gamble to open the scoring. Northern Colorado's defense forced five early turnovers, holding a narrow 12-11 lead at the first media timeout. A clutch corner three by Riley in the closing minute of the quarter gave UNC a 15-13 edge.

Van Weelden ignited UNC's offense in the second quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, extending the lead to 21-13. The Bears dominated on both ends of the court, outrebounding Eastern Washington 12-8 and shooting 50% from the field to outscore the Eagles 16-7 in the period.

The third quarter saw UNC create separation. Freshman Claire Fraser's layup before the media timeout gave the Bears a 43-31 lead. EWU closed the gap to single digits in the final two minutes, with a pair of free throws by Alexis Pettit cutting the deficit. However, Van Weelden's buzzer-beating three-pointer, assisted by Silvia Nativi, restored a 12-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter.

UNC carried their momentum into the final frame. Nativi opened the quarter with a jumper, followed by a mid-range shot from freshman Neenah George to push the lead to 54-38. The Bears' defense held strong, limiting the Eagles to 28.6% shooting and just six points in the quarter. Although Eastern Washington hit a late three to trim the lead to 11, the Bears stayed composed and secured the 66-57 win.

COACHES CORNER
"I thought it was a pretty balanced attack by our team today. If you look at the stats, you'll see a lot of sixes and sevens," said Head Coach Kristen Mattio. "Basketball is a game of runs, and Ella's (Van Weelden) threes played a key part in ours.

"Any win in the Big Sky is a great win, so this is a great day for us."

KEY STATS
Bench Points: The Bears' bench outscored Eastern Washington's 34-7.
Turnovers: The Eagles committed 19 turnovers, leading to 16 points for the Bears.
Rebounding: The Bears outrebounded EWU 36-33, but the Eagles scored seven second chance points compared to the Bears' six.

EASTERN WASHINGTON LEADERS
Kourtney Grossman had a double-double and led the game with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Eggers scored 11 and added eight rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Bears will travel to Flagstaff, Ariz. for a matchup against Northern Arizona on Saturday, Feb. 1 before making the trip home to play Idaho State on Monday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m.

Follow the Bears
Fans can follow and stay up to date on all the Bear action at uncbears.com and on social media. Follow the Bears on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNC_BearsWBB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsWBB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsWBB).

Big Sky Conference Championship Tickets
Tickets for the 2025 Big Sky Basketball Championships, presented by Idaho Central Credit Union, are on sale now.

The men's and women's basketball tournaments will be hosted at Idaho Central Arena on March 8-12, marking the seventh straight year that Starch Madness will be held in Boise, Idaho.

Fans can purchase all-tournament, all-session ticket packages for both the men's and women's sessions for courtside, reserved, and general admission seating.

Single-session tickets will be available for purchase Monday, Feb. 3. To purchase tickets, visit uncbears.com/tickets or call 970-351-4849.

Tickets can also be purchased at the Campus Commons Ticket Office, Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. TicketSmarter is the official resale marketplace of UNC athletics.

To purchase tickets, visit uncbears.com/tickets or call 970-351-4849. Tickets can also be purchased at the Campus Commons Ticket Office, Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. TicketSmarter is the official resale marketplace of UNC athletics.

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