UNC Pushes to 8-1 With Hard-Fought Win in Omaha

Wednesday, December 3

Omaha, Neb.

6 p.m. MST | 7 p.m. CST

University of Northern Colorado

8-1,0-0Big Sky

Omaha

3-7,0-0Summit League

Northern Colo.

Omaha

12/3/2025 9:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Bears take game one of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge; showdown with South Dakota up next in Greeley

By: Brooke Richards, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

OMAHA, Neb. – Northern Colorado men's basketball battled through a tight, back-and-forth matchup on the road Wednesday night, using a late defensive stand and steady veteran scoring to take down Omaha, 75-70, at Baxter Arena. The victory moves the Bears to 8-1 on the season, the second best start of the Division I era, and gives UNC a strong start in the Big Sky–Summit League Challenge.

Northern Colorado (8-1) leaned on composure in the closing minutes, outlasting an Omaha team that shot nearly 50 percent in the second half and hit timely perimeter looks to stay within striking distance all night. Graduate guard Quinn Denker again set the tone, finishing with 22 points, eight assists, and three steals in 36 minutes to anchor the offense.

The opening half featured constant momentum swings, with eight ties and 15 lead changes before the Bears entered halftime ahead, 36-33. Omaha (3-6) jumped out with early threes from Ja'Sean Glover and Lance Waddles, but UNC responded with a balanced attack, getting triples from Zach Bloch, Brock Wisne, and Ibu Yamazaki to settle in offensively.

Omaha surged to start the second half with a quick 8-2 run before Northern Colorado regrouped behind its veterans. Wisne delivered 20 points and eight rebounds, providing scoring inside and from deep while steadying UNC during multiple Maverick pushes.

Yamazaki added 16 points, knocking down three threes and showing control in the mid-range throughout the night.

Defensively, the Bears tightened late, forcing Omaha into a 2-of-6 stretch as UNC pieced together a run that included a Denker steal leading to a Vincent Delano transition finish. Bloch chipped in six rebounds and two assists while helping control tempo in a possession-heavy second half.

Omaha continued to challenge behind Glover's game-high 26 points and 19 from Waddles, trimming the deficit to one possession multiple times. But each Maverick surge was met with an answer: timely drives from Denker, interior finishing from Wisne, and late-game rebounding that sealed UNC's fourth straight road win and fifth straight overall win.

Northern Colorado shot 43 percent from the field, hit 10 threes, and committed just nine turnovers. The Bears also held a 37-33 edge on the glass and produced nine points off turnovers.

UP NEXT: The win opens Northern Colorado's two-game slate in the Big Sky–Summit League Challenge, with the Bears set to host South Dakota on Saturday inside Bank of Colorado Arena at 6 p.m. MST to close the event.

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