Bears Face Lady Griz & Bobcats in Montana

GREELEY, Colo. - The Northern Colorado Bears (10-11, 3-7 BSC) hit the road this week for a pair of Big Sky matchups, starting with a Thursday night clash against the Montana Lady Griz (9-12, 5-5 BSC) in Missoula. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. UNC will then continue its trip to Bozeman, where the Bears will take on Montana State (20-2, 10-0 BSC) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

SCOUTING THE LADY GRIZ
Montana has rebounded from a tough stretch with four wins in their last six games, positioning themselves in the upper half of the Big Sky standings. After managing just one Division I win between late November and mid-January, the Lady Griz swept a home stand against Weber State and Idaho State, followed by a road sweep at Portland State and Sacramento State. Their only losses in this stretch came against Idaho, in a challenging schedule with three games in five days, and a heartbreaking 67-66 defeat to Montana State, where they led with 90 seconds remaining.

The Lady Griz dominated Portland State early, jumping to a 29-13 first-quarter lead and never trailing in a 73-61 victory. Tyler McCliment-Call was a standout, shooting 5-for-6 from three and finishing with 17 points, while Izabella Zingaro added 17 points off the bench. The team followed up with a gritty 69-63 win over Sacramento State, overcoming a poor shooting night by committing just eight turnovers and making a season-high 18 free throws. McCliment-Call continued her strong play, scoring 19 points for her third consecutive double-digit game, averaging 13.8 points on 46.8% shooting in the last six contests.

Dani Bartsch delivered a double-double against Sacramento State, scoring 17 points with 12 rebounds, marking her 14th career double-double and moving into sixth place in program history for career rebounds. Mack Konig contributed nine assists with just one turnover on the road trip, ranking second in the Big Sky in assists per game. Montana also ranks in the national top 50 in bench scoring and three-pointers made. Avery Waddington recorded her ninth game with 10+ points, while Zingaro continues to be efficient, shooting 62.8% on the season, though she does not meet the minimum attempts to qualify for national rankings.

LIVE COVERAGE
A live stream will be available for the game provided by the Montana 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 Montana Athletic Communications department.

THE SERIES
Thursday's game will be the 41st time the two teams have met with the series dating back to 2007. Head Coach Kristen Mattio holds a 3-4 record against the Lady Grizz and the Bears hold a 17-23 record against Montana. UNC is 7-12 in Missoula.

L, 60-82 - Missoula, 2023
L, 61-78 - Greeley, 2023
W, 67-57 - Greeley, 2024
L, 73-82 - Missoula, 2024
W, 57-49 - Greeley, 2025

ON THIS DAY, FEB. 6
Thursday's game marks the 15th time the Bears have played on this date and the second time in the Mattio Era. UNC is 9-6 all time on Feb. 6 and 5-3 on the road.

2023, at Weber State - W, 73-60
2020, vs Southern Utah - L,55-68
2016, at Idaho State - W, 61-59
2014, Idaho State - L, 71-79
2010, at Northern Arizona - W, 66-56

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
The Montana State Bobcats continue their dominant season with a 20-2 record and a perfect 10-0 mark in Big Sky play. Their recent 85-39 win over Portland State marked their 13th straight victory, the program's longest streak since 2019-20. Head coach Tricia Binford secured her sixth 20-win season, reinforcing her status as the winningest coach in program history with 329 career victories.

Senior guard Esmeralda Morales led MSU with 20 points, including four three-pointers and a perfect 8-of-8 from the line. The Bobcats took control early, building a 36-18 halftime lead and sealing the win with a dominant 32-point fourth quarter. Freshman Taylee Chirrick recorded a career-high 15 points and seven steals, while Katelynn Martin and Addison Harris added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Marah Dykstra led with seven rebounds as MSU controlled the boards 38-31 and converted 23 Portland State turnovers into a 27-1 edge in points off turnovers.

THE SERIES
Monday's game will be the 41st time the two teams have met with the series dating back to 1980. Head coach Kristen Mattio holds a 2-6 record against the Bobcats, but the Bobcats hold a 17-23 overall record over UNC. The Bears are 6-12 in Bozeman.

L, 60-80 - Greeley, 2023
W, 58-53 - Greeley, 2024
L, 40-61 - Bozeman, 2024
L, 44-47 - Boise, 2024
L, 57-68 - Greeley, 2025

ON THIS DAY, FEB. 8
Monday's game marks the 13th time the Bears have played on this date and the second in the Mattio Era. UNC is 4-9 all time on Feb. 8 and 1-6 at home. The last time the Bears played on this day was last year, at Montana State.

2024, at Montana State - L,40-61
2018, Idaho State - W, 75-52
2014, Weber State - W, 70-63
2007, at Idaho State - L, 65-90
2003, at South Dakota - L, 47-70

THE MATTIO ERA
Head Coach Kristen Mattio enters her fourth season at the helm of Bears Women's Basketball. Under Mattio, the Bears are 53-61 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 53 and is 4 wins away from claiming sixth.

LAST TIME OUT
UNC secured a 59-51 victory over Idaho State (8-13, 3-7 Big Sky) on Monday night at the Bank of Colorado Arena. Junior guard London Gamble led the Bears with 16 points, including two three-pointers, while junior guard Julia Riley contributed 14 points on 66.7% shooting from beyond the arc and grabbed nine rebounds. Freshman guard Neenah George also added 14 points, two three-pointers, and two assists. Despite a slow start, the Bears found their rhythm in the second quarter, using strong outside shooting from Riley and George to erase an early deficit and head into halftime tied at 31-31.

Northern Colorado maintained momentum in the second half, with George and Gamble providing key baskets in the third quarter to build a 44-37 lead. Idaho State fought back, but the Bears' defense tightened in the fourth, holding the Bengals to just seven points in the final period. A crucial late layup by George helped seal the win. UNC shot an efficient 47.1% from three (8-of-17) and dominated bench scoring, outscoring Idaho State's reserves 30-4. Although the Bengals outrebounded UNC 40-35 and scored nine second-chance points, the Bears' balanced scoring and defensive effort secured the win.

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 be back in the Bank of Colorado Arena on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 12 p.m. against Sacramento State and Saturday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. against Portland State.

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.

About TicketSmarter.com
TicketSmarter® is a ticket resale marketplace and is not affiliated with Ticketmaster® or Live Nation®. TicketSmarter® is an online ticket marketplace and a proud member of the Digital Ally Companies (NASDAQ: DGLY). TicketSmarter® offers tickets to more than 125,000 live events ranging from concerts to sports and theatre shows. 

TicketSmarter® is a primary and secondary ticketing solution for events and high-profile venues across North America including more than 300 professional sports teams and collegiate athletic departments. TicketSmarter® is also dedicated to giving back through contributions to charitable organizations.

100% Ticket Guarantee
All purchases are backed with a TicketSmarter® ticket guarantee. Have peace of mind knowing when you make your purchase for any sporting event, concert or theatre show that your tickets will be valid. You will receive a 100% refund if the event is canceled and not rescheduled. You will also receive a 100% refund if your order was accepted but the tickets were not delivered by the seller or shipped in time for the event. TicketSmarter® also provides a worry-free guarantee that your tickets will be valid upon entry. If they are not valid, we will provide you with a refund.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Next Event

Players Mentioned

London Gamble

Neenah George

Julia Riley

Sponsors

Upcoming Events

University of Northern Colorado Athletics