Bears Battle Back Early, but Second-Half Surge Lifts Montana State in Big Sky Opener

Thursday, January 1

Bozeman, Mont.

7 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

10-4,0-1Big Sky

Montana State

7-7,1-0Big Sky

Team	1	2	F
Northern Colo.	33	42	75
Montana St.	39	50	89

Photo by: Montana State University

1/1/2026 9:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Northern Colorado opened Big Sky Conference play with a competitive showing on the road, but a decisive second-half surge lifted Montana State to an 89-75 win over the Bears Thursday night at Worthington Arena.

The Bobcats used a 14-0 run midway through the first half to build momentum and carried a 39-33 advantage into the locker room. Northern Colorado responded with strong energy out of the break, tying the game at 39-39 in the opening minutes of the second half, but Montana State quickly countered and controlled the tempo the rest of the way, scoring 50 points after halftime to pull away.

Zach Bloch led Northern Colorado with 18 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, while Ibu Yamazaki finished with 15. Quinn Denker added 14 points and seven assists, directing the offense throughout the night, and Egan Shields chipped in a strong effort on the glass with 11 rebounds.

The Bears connected on nine 3-pointers and held a 36-30 edge on the boards, but Montana State shot 52.4% from the field and turned a 13-7 advantage in turnovers into key scoring opportunities during a pivotal stretch of the second half.

UP NEXT: Northern Colorado continues Big Sky road play Saturday, Jan. 3, traveling to Missoula to face Montana at Dahlberg Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. MST.

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).