Northern Colorado Earns 69-61 Road Win at Idaho State

Saturday, February 7

Pocatello, Idaho

4 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

15-10,5-7Big Sky

Idaho State

10-15,3-9Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Idaho St.

Photo by: Kassidy Schwartz, UNC Athletics

2/7/2026 10:11:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

POCATELLO, Idaho – Northern Colorado continued its strong road play Saturday afternoon, pulling away in the second half for a 69-61 win over Idaho State at Reed Gym.

The Bears were steady from the opening tip, shooting 56 percent in the first half and carrying a 36-34 lead into the break after a tightly contested opening 20 minutes that featured 14 lead changes. UNC consistently found success inside, scoring 44 points in the paint for the game while finishing at a 52 percent clip overall.

Ring Nyeri led the way with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, adding five rebounds and providing a steady presence on both ends. Brock Wisne followed with a team-high 17 points, going 8-of-11 from the field and grabbing eight rebounds, while Quinn Denker added 14 points, five rebounds and four assists to round out a balanced offensive effort.

Northern Colorado took control midway through the second half, using a 9-point run to build its largest lead of the game at 12 points with just over five minutes remaining. The Bears continued to execute down the stretch, knocking down timely shots and converting 7-of-8 attempts at the free-throw line to seal the win.

Defensively, UNC limited Idaho State to 37 percent shooting and forced seven turnovers, turning them into 10 points on the other end. The Bears also finished with a plus-14 margin in points in the paint, continuing a season-long trend of interior efficiency.

With the win, Northern Colorado improves to 15-10 overall and 5-7 in Big Sky play as the team returns home next week.

RECORD WATCH: Brock Wisne moved into 15th place on UNC's all-time scoring list with 1,279 career points and now sits in a tie for sixth in program history in field goals made with 537.

Zach Bloch continues to make steady progress across multiple career categories, ranking ninth all-time at UNC in both three-pointers made (186) and three-point attempts (471), while sitting fifth in games played with 126, just six shy of the program record. Bloch also has 96 career steals, 17 away from cracking the all-time top 10, and is closing in on single-season marks as well, sitting six steals shy of the season top 10 and one made three 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 161 and continuing to move up the program's season-long distribution charts.

UP NEXT: Northern Colorado returns home to Bank of Colorado Arena for a two-game Big Sky homestand, opening the week Thursday night against Sacramento State on Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. MST. The Bears will then welcome Portland State on Saturday, Feb. 14, for a 2 p.m. matinee. Both matchups will be streamed live on ESPN+, with audio coverage available on 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).