Bears Stunned at the Buzzer in Portland Invitational Opener

Saturday, November 22

Portland, Ore.

6 p.m. MST | 5 p.m. PST

University of Northern Colorado

Portland

11/21/2025 8:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Brooke Richards, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Northern Colorado men's basketball dropped a heartbreaker Friday night, falling 73-72 to St. Thomas on a half-court buzzer beater to open play at the Portland Invitational.

UNC (3-1) led for more than 36 minutes and put itself in position to close out another tight contest behind strong guard play and efficiency at the free throw line. Zach Bloch delivered one of the day's standout performances, going a perfect 4-for-4 at the stripe to record a career high in made free throws.

The Bears controlled much of the first half, building a 36-29 halftime lead behind timely shooting from Ibu Yamazaki and steady creation from Quinn Denker, who finished with a team-high 21 points and six assists. Brock Wisne and Egan Shields stabilized UNC inside, combining for 18 points and 14 rebounds.

St. Thomas surged back in the second half, using a flurry of paint touches and perimeter shooting to claw ahead briefly before the Bears responded. Denker hit two free throws as UNC regained a 72-70 lead in the final seconds.

The Bears forced the Tommies into a desperation launch, but the half-court shot with two seconds found the bottom of the net as time expired, flipping the result in stunning fashion.
Yamazaki added 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while Wisne tallied 10 points and seven boards. Vincent Delano and Ring Nyeri combined for 12 points off the bench, and UNC shot an efficient 17-of-21 from the free-throw line.

Northern Colorado looks to bounce back quickly, continuing its three-game stretch in Portland tomorrow against host Portland at 6 p.m. MST. Coverage is available on ESPN+.

UNC vs UP SERIES: Northern Colorado and Portland meet for the fifth time in series history, with the all-time matchup currently tied at 2-2. The two programs first faced off in the 1974-75 season, but the modern series resumed in 2007 and spanned three matchups through 2010. UNC won the most recent meeting on March 17, 2010, an 81-73 victory in Greeley that capped back-to-back home wins after the Pilots took the opener in 2007.

SCOUTING THE PILOTS: Northern Colorado continues its three-games-in-three-days stretch by facing a Portland team (3-1) that opened the season with three straight home wins before falling on the road at Wyoming. The Pilots have been productive offensively at 81.5 points per game and are shooting 45.8 percent from the floor but enter the tournament looking to regain rhythm after their first setback.

Portland features a balanced scoring attack led by Joel Foxwell (15.5 ppg, .450 FG, 20 assists) and Mikah Ballew (13.5 ppg, .412 3FG, .840 FT), while forward Timo George provides an efficient interior presence at 65.2 percent from the field with 5.8 rebounds per game. Four Pilots average double figures, and six players contribute at least seven points per outing, giving Portland one of the deeper rotations UNC will see this weekend.

The Pilots get to the free throw line at a high rate with 24 makes per game, but have struggled from three, shooting just 28.2 percent while allowing opponents to hit 10.3 threes per contest. Rebounding has been nearly even (39.8-39.0), though Portland's frontcourt of George (5.8 rpg), James O'Donnell (5.5), and Cam Williams (4.8) anchors a unit that has blocked 16 shots across four games.

Turnovers have been an issue, with Portland committing 15.8 per game, and opponents have turned those into 34 total steals. Containing perimeter pressure and limiting giveaways will be key for the Pilots against a UNC team that thrives when it converts defensive stops into tempo.

The Pilots will look to maintain their unblemished home court record.

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_BearsMBB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsMBB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsMBB).