Bears Down Bengals 85-72 for Smiley’s 100th Win at UNC

Thursday, January 8

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

11-5,1-2Big Sky

Idaho State

8-8,1-2Big Sky

Idaho St.

Northern Colo.

Steve Smiley Earns His 100th Career Win at UNC

Photo by: Christian Guerrero

1/8/2026 8:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – The University of Northern Colorado men's basketball team knocked down 16 three-pointers and led for more than 39 minutes Thursday night, rolling past Idaho State, 85-72, at Bank of Colorado Arena in Big Sky Conference action.

The victory marked the 100th career win at Northern Colorado for head coach Steve Smiley, who reached the milestone as the Bears improved to 11-5 overall and 1-2 in Big Sky play. UNC built a 15-point halftime lead and never let the Bengals seriously threaten, pushing the margin as high as 19 in the second half.

Zach Bloch paced the Bears with 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. Jamison Guerra led Idaho State (8-8, 1-2 Big Sky) with 26 points in the setback.

After Idaho State scored first, Northern Colorado answered quickly with a pair of early three-pointers from Ibu Yamazaki and seized control in the opening minutes. The Bears used a 12-0 run in 5:53, sparked by triples from Yamazaki, Bloch and Brock Wisne, to stretch a 10-8 edge into a 22-8 advantage at the 13:27 mark of the first half.

Idaho State briefly countered with an 11-point run to trim the deficit to three, 22-19, with 8:49 remaining. UNC responded immediately, ripping off a 9-0 burst in just under two minutes behind timely shooting and transition baskets to reestablish control. Northern Colorado closed the half strong and went into the locker room with a 40-25 lead after shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 10-of-22 from three in the opening 20 minutes.

The Bears remained firmly in command after the break. Bloch and Wisne connected from deep early in the second half, while finishes at the rim by Bloch and Vincent Delano helped UNC maintain a double-digit cushion. A Quinn Denker three at the 10:16 mark pushed the lead back to 15, and Northern Colorado later extended the margin to 61-42 with 12:33 to play.

UNC sealed the outcome down the stretch with balanced scoring and efficient execution. Bloch's sixth three-pointer made it 82-67 with 2:40 remaining, effectively putting the game away.

Wisne finished with 17 points and four rebounds, while Denker recorded a career first double-double with 10 points and 11 assists. Yamazaki added 16 points, and Delano chipped in five points and three assists.

Northern Colorado shot 51.8 percent from the floor and 45.7 percent from three, while limiting Idaho State to 17.6 percent shooting from deep. The Bears also forced 10 turnovers and converted them into 14 points.

UP NEXT: Northern Colorado continues Big Sky Conference play Saturday night at Bank of Colorado Arena against Weber State with tipoff scheduled at 6 p.m. MST with coverage available on ESPN+ and Pirate Radio.

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)