Bears Surge Past Montana, Denker Sets Assist Record in Regular-Season Finale

Monday, March 2

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

20-11,10-8Big Sky

Montana

16-15,10-8Big Sky

Montana

Northern Colo.

Quinn Denker Breaks Single Season Assist Record

Photo by: Lexie Martin

3/2/2026 8:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Brooke Richards, Director of Strategic Communications

Bears Surge Past Montana, Denker Sets Assist Record in Regular-Season Finale

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado closed the regular season in emphatic fashion Monday night, rolling past Montana 85-57 behind a dominant second half and a pair of program milestones at Bank of Colorado Arena.

After taking a 27-23 lead into the break, the Bears exploded for 58 points in the second half, shooting 66.7 percent (22-of-33) after halftime while knocking down 8-of-12 from three. UNC forced key turnovers and turned them into quick offense throughout the period, stretching the margin to as many as 29 and spending more than 35 minutes with the lead.

Quinn Denker led the way with 16 points, four assists and seven rebounds, and in the process broke Northern Colorado's single-season assists record while also helping the Bears set a new program mark for team assists in a season. Zach Bloch added 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, while Ring Nyeri continued his efficient run with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting and seven boards. Ibu Yamazaki finished with seven points and two rebounds, and Egan Shields provided a spark off the bench with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.

Northern Colorado finished the night shooting 49.3 percent from the floor (33-of-67) and totaled 15 assists while holding Montana to 38.3 percent shooting (23-of-60) and 5-of-22 from three. The Bears also won the interior, scoring 40 points in the paint, and got 28 points from the bench to help secure the 28-point win.

Montana was led by Money Williams with 17 points, while Kenyon Aguino added 10. The victory moved Northern Colorado to 20-11 overall and 10-8 in Big Sky play heading into the Big Sky Tournament.

UP NEXT: Northern Colorado will now await final Big Sky Tournament seeding following the conclusion of league play. The Bears will open postseason action in the Men's Third Round (MBB Session 3) in Boise, taking the floor in one of two matchups: Game 5 (#4 seed vs. #5 seed) at 5:30 p.m. MT or Game 6 (#3 seed vs. #6 seed) at 8:00 p.m. MT.

BUT TICKETS FOR STARCH MADNESS: The 2026 Big Sky Men's & Women's Basketball Championships will be held March 7-11 at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho. For the 11th consecutive season, all Big Sky member institutions will compete in the conference tournament, with 10 teams participating on both the men's and women's sides.
Tournament champions will earn automatic berths to the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. All games will stream on ESPN+, with both championship games airing on the ESPN family of networks.

The tournament opens Saturday, March 7, with first-round action for both the women's and men's brackets, followed by second- and third-round games through Monday. Semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, with championship games set for Wednesday, March 11. Tickets are available here.

Celebrate this big win by making a gift to the Roundball Club today! Your support keeps the Bears rolling as UNC Men's Basketball closes out conference play and gears up for postseason action. Give for the W: https://advance.unco.edu/g/menbasketball

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).