UNC Rallies Late in 73-68 Loss to Montana State

Monday, January 19

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

11-9,1-6Big Sky

Montana State

11-8,5-1Big Sky

Montana St.

Northern Colo.

Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics

1/19/2026 8:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado won the second half and cut a 15-point deficit to one possession in the final minute, but Montana State held on late to hand the Bears a 73-68 setback Monday night in Big Sky play at Bank of Colorado Arena.

UNC led early and built a 14-5 advantage at the 13:29 mark of the first half, but Montana State answered with a steady run behind perimeter shooting and took a 36-27 edge into halftime. The Bobcats went 6-of-15 from three in the opening half and used a late push in the final minutes to extend the margin to nine at the break.

The Bears responded out of the locker room, continuing to attack the paint and the glass while generating extra chances. Northern Colorado outscored Montana State 41-37 in the second half and repeatedly closed the gap with defensive stops and second-chance opportunities. After Montana State stretched its largest lead to 15 (61-46) with 9:20 to play, UNC chipped away possession by possession, trimming it to 71-68 with 31 seconds left.

Northern Colorado had looks to make it a one-possession game even tighter in the closing sequence, with Ring Nyeri grabbing two offensive boards in the final seconds to keep the possession alive, but the Bears couldn't get the tying shot to fall before Montana State sealed it at the free-throw line.

Brock Wisne led UNC with 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting and added five assists, while Vincent Delano finished with 13 points and hit 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Zach Bloch added 12 points with four three-pointers, and Quinn Denker logged seven assists. Nyeri delivered a standout night on the glass with a career-high 14 rebounds (six offensive), helping the Bears post 38 points in the paint and 18 second-chance points.

Montana State was paced by Davian Brown's 16 points on 4-of-6 from three, while the Bobcats shot 42.3% from deep (11-of-26) and went 16-of-21 at the free-throw line.

UP NEXT: The Bears look to bounce back on Saturday night with a Big Sky matchup in Flagstaff, Arizona against Northern Arizona. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MST with coverage on ESPN+ and Pirate Radio.

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