UNC Travels to NAU, Hosts Idaho State

GREELEY, Colo. - The Bears (9-10, 2-6 BSC) hit the road to face Northern Arizona (16-5, 7-1 BSC) in Flagstaff on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. before returning home for a Monday night rematch against Idaho State (7-11, 2-5 BSC). Monday's game will be a Pink Out, with fans encouraged to wear pink to receive a $5 ticket (plus fees) at the gate. The women's basketball team will be selling their pink game-worn jerseys for $150 each.

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS
The Northern Arizona Lumberjacks are currently second in the conference with just one loss to undefeated MSU and are 16-5 overall. NAU defeated Big 12 opponent Arizona in the beginning of the season 92-75.

The Lumberjacks are led by Head Coach Loree Payne. Payne has been leading NAU since 2017. She is the third coach in program history to record 100 victories with the team and is NAU's all-time leader in Big Sky Conference wins. She is second on NAU's all-time career wins list.

Sophie Glancey, the BSC preseason MVP selectee, leads the Lumberjacks, averaging 17.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Glancey is a three-time BSC Player of the Week selection during the 2024-25 season, and a six time selection through her career.

Alongside Glancey is Taylor Feldman and Leia Beattie. Feldman is putting up 16.9 points per game, helping the Lumberjacks to a near-perfect conference record. Beattie was selected to Preseason All-Conference Team and is averaging 10.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
LIVE COVERAGE
A live stream will be available for the game provided by the Northern Arizona Athletic Communications department through ESPN+. Fans can purchase a subscription at plus.espn.com. Live stats will also be provided for fans to stay up to date, provided by the NAU Athletic Communications department.

THE SERIES
Saturday's game will be the 40th time the two teams have met with the series dating back to 1976. Head Coach Kristen Mattio holds a 1-7 record against the Vandals and the Bears hold a 23-16 edge over the Lumberjacks.

L, 61-67 - Greeley, 2024
L, 72-76 - Flagstaff, 2023
L, 48-64 - Boise, 2023
L, 48-66 - Flagstaff, 2023
L, 59-62 (OT) - Greeley, 2023

ON THIS DAY, FEB. 1
Saturday's game marks the 15th time the Bears have played on this date and the second time in the Mattio Era. UNC is 6-8 all time on Feb. 1 and 4-4 on the road.

2024, at Idaho State - L, 56-76
2020, at Weber State - W, 69-65
2018, at Montana - W, 64-58
2014, Eastern Washington - L, 51-52
2007, Weber State - L, 45-56

SCOUTING THE BENGALS
After their last matchup, where the Bengals defeated the Bears 58-50, Idaho State endured a four-game losing streak before breaking it with a 66-52 win over Portland State on Saturday. The Bengals are currently ranked seventh in the conference, just one spot ahead of the Bears.

The Wildcats are lead by junior guard Sophia Covello. Covello is averaging 9.4 points per game on .423
shooting from the field and 2.3 rebounds. Also leading
the way for the Bengals offense is senior guard Maria Dias. Dias is averaging 8.9 buckets a game and
boarding 3.4.

Seton Sobolewski has been leading the Bengals for 17 seasons. Sobolewski was hired as the 12th head coach in Idaho State women's basketball history in May 2008. In 17 seasons at Idaho State, Head Coach Seton Sobolewski has built an impressive resume, leading the Bengals to 272 wins, seven 20+ win seasons, and five Big Sky Conference titles. He has coached 31 All-Big Sky selections, 22 Players of the Week, and standout players such as Chelsea Pickering and Estefania Ors, both tournament MVPs. Sobolewski has been named Big Sky Coach of the Year three times, achieving postseason success with multiple NCAA and WNIT appearances, including a historic 2021 NCAA performance against Kentucky. Academically, his teams have produced 72 All-Academic honorees, and he holds the program's record for wins.

THE SERIES
Monday's game will be the 45th time the two teams have met with the series dating back to 1986. Head coach Kristen Mattio holds a 4-4 record against the Bengals, but the Bengals hold a 16-28 overall record over UNC.

L, 50-58 - Pocatello, 2025
W, 63-51 - Greeley, 2024
L, 56-76 - Pocatello, 2024
W, 53-46 - Pocatello, 2023
L, 42-63 - Greeley, 2022

ON THIS DAY, FEB. 3
Monday's game marks the 16th time the Bears have played on this date and the second in the Mattio Era. UNC is 8-7 all time on Feb. 3 and 2-4 at home.

2024, at Weber State - W, 73-63
2022, at Portland State - W, 59-51
2018, at Montana State - W, 78-63
2011, at Eastern Wash. - W, 69-59
2010, Denver - W, 74-72

THE MATTIO ERA
Head Coach Kristen Mattio enters her fourth season at the helm of Bears Women's Basketball. Under Mattio, the Bears are 50-54 since she took over the program in 2020. Mattio surpassed the 200th career victory mark in the overtime upset win against Big 12 opponent BYU on Nov. 23, 2024. Mattio is the first head coach to reach this mark at UNC in the Division I era. Mattio has led the Bears to top-25 rankings in the nation in the field goal percentage, forced turnovers, 3PT% (defense), and steals per game categories for the first time in program history. Mattio is currently seventh in program wins with 52 and is 6 wins away from claiming sixth.

LAST TIME OUT
UNC earned a 66-57 victory over Eastern Washington on Saturday at the Bank of Colorado Arena. Junior guard Ella Van Weelden led the Bears with 12 points, sinking four three-pointers on 50% shooting while adding five rebounds. Sophomore forward Tatum West contributed seven points and six rebounds, while junior guard Julia Riley added six points and six rebounds, shooting perfectly from beyond the arc.

UNC set the tone early with tough defense and key baskets, including a clutch three by Riley to end the first quarter with a 15-13 lead. Van Weelden's back-to-back threes sparked a dominant second quarter, helping UNC outscore EWU 16-7. The Bears extended their lead in the third behind freshman Claire Fraser's layup and Van Weelden's buzzer-beating three. In the fourth, UNC's defense stifled the Eagles, holding them to just six points and securing the 66-57 win despite a late push by Eastern Washington.

NET RANKINGS
The Bears are currently ranked 194th in the NET rankings, which are used for NCAA tournament selection. These rankings focus on team performance, factoring in wins over quality opponents and efficiency adjusted for game location and strength of competition. While the rankings are still stabilizing as more games are played, they provide an important early snapshot of a team's position heading into the selection process.

THE BIG SKY
The 2024-25 Big Sky Conference basketball schedule will feature 10 teams in a mirror schedule format. Each team will play each other twice: once at home, and once away.

The BSC Basketball Championships will feature all teams in the conference with seeding based on the 18 conference games. The championships will take place March 8-9-10-11-12, 2025, at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho. The tournament winners will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship.

UP NEXT
The Bears will head to Big Sky Country, playing Montana on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. and Montana State on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
Fans can follow and stay up to date on all the Bear action online 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.

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.

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