Bears Outlast Portland in Overtime Thriller

11/22/2025 9:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Brooke Richards, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Northern Colorado men's basketball picked up its first win in the Portland Invitational, outlasting Portland 86-80 on Saturday night inside the Chiles Center to move to 4-1 on the season.

Quinn Denker delivered one of the best performances of his career, pouring in 29 points on 8-of-14 shooting while going a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line, including eight makes in overtime to seal the victory. The graduate guard added seven assists and six rebounds in 43 minutes as UNC (4-1) controlled the extra period.

The Bears led for more than 28 minutes, building a 10-point cushion midway through the second half, but Portland responded with a 12-0 surge to take a brief lead. The Pilots secured a two point lead, but in the final seconds of regulation, Denker buried a pull-up jumper with 16 seconds left before the Pilots answered with a defensive stop to force overtime.

Northern Colorado wasted no time taking command in the extra session. Egan Shields opened the scoring with a short jumper, part of an 8-2 UNC run fueled by stops on four straight Portland possessions. Shields finished with a dominant night off the bench, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and a team and career high 11 rebounds to secure his first career double-double.

Offensively, the Bears leaned on balanced production throughout the evening. Ibu Yamazaki added 12 points and five boards, knocking down three threes, while Brock Wisne scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds. Zach Bloch chipped in eight points and two steals.

UNC finished 31-for-67 from the field (46.3%) and a strong 16-for-18 at the free-throw line, while winning fast-break points 19-7 and holding Portland to just 11 points in overtime. The Pilots were led by Cameron Williams' 15 points and eight rebounds.

Northern Colorado returns to action tomorrow to close out the Portland Invitational, tipping off against Cal State - Fullerton at 12 p.m. MT.

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