Bears Host Senior Night, Final Home Games of 2024-25 Season

GREELEY, Colo. - Northern Colorado women's basketball (13-14, 6-10 Big Sky) will host its final two home games of the 2024-25 season, beginning with Senior Night on Saturday, March 1, at 6 p.m. against Northern Arizona (23-6, 14-2 Big Sky). The Bears will wrap up their home schedule against Weber State on Monday, March 3, at 6 p.m.

LIVE COVERAGE
A live stream will be available for the game provided by the University of Northern Colorado's Bear Vision 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 UNC Strategic Communications department.

SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS
Northern Arizona (23-6, 14-2 Big Sky) enters the matchup fresh off an 88-77 win over Eastern Washington, completing a conference road sweep. The Lumberjacks are dominant when scoring over 80 points, holding a 14-1 record in such games.

Sophie Glancey leads the team after a standout performance with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high six blocks. She has recorded four consecutive double-doubles. Taylor Feldman contributed 17 points and a season-high seven assists, while Nyah Moran added 15 points and six assists. Olivia Moran also reached double figures with 14 points.

NAU's second-half surge was key, outscoring the Eagles 55-37 after halftime while shooting 54.8 percent from the field. A dominant third quarter (34-18) turned the game in their favor, fueled by a 13-2 run. The Lumberjacks excelled on the boards, outrebounding EWU 46-34, and shared the ball well with 24 assists on 28 made field goals.

Glancey earned her seventh Big Sky Player of the Week honor this season, sharing the award with Montana State's Esmeralda Morales. This marks her fourth win in five weeks and contributes to Northern Arizona's conference-record 11 awards this season. Glancey, the Preseason Big Sky MVP, led NAU to a 2-0 road trip, averaging 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.5 blocks per game. She recorded a double-double in both games, highlighted by a 25-point, 12-rebound performance against Eastern Washington, where she also tallied a career-high six blocks. Leading the Big Sky in scoring (18.1 ppg), field goal percentage (50.7%), and blocks per game (1.8), she also ranks top 25 nationally in multiple statistical categories. NAU, riding a five-game winning streak, enters the final week of the regular season with momentum.

THE SERIES
Saturday's game will be the 41st time the two teams
have met with the series dating back to 1976. Head
Coach Kristen Mattio carries a 1-8 record against the
Lumberjacks, but the Bears hold a 23-17 overall record over Northern Arizona.

L, 52-68 - Flagstaff, 2025
L, 61-67 - Greeley, 2024
L, 72-76 - Flagstaff, 2023
L, 48-64 - Boise, 2023
L, 48-66 - Flagstaff, 2023

ON THIS DAY, MARCH 1
Saturday's game marks the 11th time the Bears have played on this date and the first time in the Mattio Era. UNC is 3-8 all time on March 1 and 2-3 at home.

2017, at Portland State - W, 57-50
2014, at Portland State - L, 51-57
2008, Montana State - L, 76-81
2007, at Eastern Washington - L, 47-68
2003, at South Dakota State - L, 59-77

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Weber State secured a 71-56 road victory over Portland State, improving to 8-7 in Big Sky play. The Wildcats overcame a slow start, battling back from an early deficit to keep the game close at halftime. Despite a 9-0 run in the first quarter, Weber State trailed 12-11 after Portland State responded with a run of their own. The Wildcats fought back in the second quarter, tying the game at 29 before a late Vikings layup and free throw gave Portland State a 32-29 halftime lead.

The momentum shifted in the third quarter, fueled by back-to-back three-pointers from Lanae Billy. Weber State dominated the period, scoring 27 points and going on a 9-0 run to take control of the game. The Wildcats extended their lead to 14 heading into the final frame, where their defense held strong to secure the win. Billy led the charge with a career-high 22 points, including six three-pointers, while Kendra Parra added 20 points for her fifth 20-plus-point game of the season. Weber State's explosive third quarter and balanced scoring proved to be the difference in their eighth Big Sky victory.

THE SERIES
Monday's game will be the 46th time the two teams have met with the series dating back to the 1974-75 season. Head Coach Kristen Mattio holds a 7-1 record against the Wildcats and the Bears hold a 30-15 advantage in the overall series.

W, 73-60 - Ogden, 2023
W, 63-52 - Boise, 2023
W, 73-63 - Ogden, 2024
W, 72-64 - Greeley, 2024
L, 52-65 - Ogden, 2025

ON THIS DAY, MARCH 3
Monday's game marks the 12th time the Bears have played on this date and the second in the Mattio Era. UNC is 7-5 and 4-1 at home. The last time the Bears played on this day was in 2021 when UNC defeated Weber State at home.

2021, Weber State - W, 83-60
2017, at Sacramento State - W, 102-74
2012, Portland State - W, 65-50
2008, Sacramento State - W 75-48
2007, at Portland State - L, 63-77

THE MATTIO ERA
Head Coach Kristen Mattio enters her fourth season at the helm of Bears Women's Basketball. Under Mattio, the Bears are 56-64 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 56 and is three wins away from claiming sixth.

LAST TIME OUT
Northern Colorado battled but came up short in a 77-59 road loss to Idaho on Saturday at ICCU Arena. The Bears (13-14, 6-10 Big Sky) kept it close early, trailing just 20-16 after the first quarter, but the Vandals (17-9, 9-6 Big Sky) took control in the second, building a 39-28 halftime lead behind efficient shooting and second-chance opportunities. UNC fought back in the third, outscoring Idaho 17-16, with London Gamble and Aniah Hall leading the charge, but the Vandals maintained their edge. In the fourth, Idaho pulled away with timely three-pointers and solid free-throw shooting to secure the win.

Aniah Hall paced UNC with 12 points and six rebounds, while Gamble added 11 points and Neenah George contributed 10, going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Gabi Fields played a key role defensively with four steals. The Bears' bench provided a spark, outscoring Idaho's reserves 23-11, but turnovers proved costly, leading to 16 points for the Vandals. Despite UNC forcing 13 turnovers and grabbing nine steals, Idaho's dominance in the paint and strong shooting down the stretch proved too much to overcome.

NET RANKINGS
The Bears are currently ranked 197th 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 turn their focus to postseason as they prepare for the Big Sky Basketball tournament which takes place in Boise, Idaho March 8-12.

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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