Denker, Yamazaki Fuel 88-74 Wire-to-Wire Win at Weber State

Thursday, February 5

Ogden, Utah

7 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

14-10,4-7Big Sky

Weber State

11-13,5-6Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Weber St.

2/5/2026 9:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

OGDEN, Utah – Northern Colorado led from wire-to-wire Thursday night, powering past Weber State 88-74 at the Dee Events Center behind a highly efficient offensive showing and another statement performance from Quinn Denker. The Bears built separation early, controlled tempo for most of the night, and never allowed the Wildcats to seriously threaten, improving to 14-10 overall and 4-7 in Big Sky play.

UNC set the tone from the opening minutes, racing out to an early advantage. The Bears shot better than 50 percent for much of the opening half and stretched the margin to double figures midway through the period, using a 13-0 run to claim their first double-digit lead of the night. Northern Colorado pushed its advantage to as many as 19 points late in the half before heading into the locker room with a 42-33 edge.

The Bears picked up right where they left off after the break, scoring on their first possession and quickly rebuilding a comfortable cushion. Weber State made several pushes in the second half, trimming the margin to single digits on a few occasions, but each time UNC responded with timely baskets to halt the momentum. Northern Colorado shot 64.3 percent in the second half and finished the night at 59.3 percent overall, while limiting Weber State to just 2-of-17 from three-point range.

Denker led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, marking his third 30-point game of the season and his second in the last three contests. He also added nine assists and five rebounds, with his assist total moving him into fifth place on UNC's single-season list with 157. Ibu Yamazaki turned in a career night, scoring a career-high 23 points on an ultra-efficient 9-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Brock Wisne contributed 10 points and nine rebounds, moving to 1,262 career points to climb into 15th place on the program's all-time scoring list while also ranking seventh all-time in field goals made with 529. Ring Nyeri added 13 points and provided a spark in transition, while Zach Bloch chipped in six points, four assists and two steals as he continued to climb multiple career and single-season leaderboards.

Northern Colorado finished with a decisive edge in shooting efficiency and execution, outscoring Weber State 46-42 in the paint and 12-6 on second-chance opportunities. The Bears led for more than 38 minutes, posted a 69 percent effective field goal rate, and closed the night by knocking down timely baskets to keep the Wildcats at bay down the stretch.

RECORD WATCH: Brock Wisne moved into 15th place on UNC's all-time scoring list with 1,262 career points and now ranks seventh in program history in field goals made with 529.

Zach Bloch continues to make steady progress across multiple career categories, ranking ninth all-time at UNC in both three-pointers made (185) and three-point attempts (469), while sitting fifth in games played with 125, just seven shy of the program record. Bloch also has 95 career steals, 18 away from cracking the all-time top 10, and is closing in on single-season marks as well, sitting seven steals shy of the season top 10 and two made threes away from entering the single-season top 10 list.

Quinn Denker remains one of the most productive playmakers in program history, currently ranking fifth on UNC's single-season assists list with 157 and continuing to move up the program's season-long distribution charts.

UP NEXT: The Bears take on the Bengals on Saturday at 4 p.m. MST in ICCU Dome in Pocatello, Idaho. Coverage is 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).