UNC Women’s Basketball Closes Regular Season With Hard-Fought 61–59 Win in Missoula

Monday, March 2

Missoula, Mont.

7 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

22-9,13-5Big Sky

Montana

8-21,5-13Big Sky

Northern Colo.

Montana

Ally McCutchen | UNC Athletics

3/2/2026 9:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Elian Soto, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

MISSOULA, Mont. - Northern Colorado women's basketball closed out the regular season with a gritty 61–59 road victory over Montana on Monday night at Dahlberg Arena to finish the regular season 22–9 overall and 13–5 in Big Sky Conference play.

Tatum West anchored the Bears on both ends of the floor, recording her ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. West controlled the paint throughout the night and provided key stops down the stretch as Northern Colorado protected its slim late lead.

Julia Riley delivered a major offensive spark with 15 points while knocking down five three-pointers. Riley's perimeter shooting helped the Bears build separation through the middle quarters and maintain control for much of the night.

As a team, Northern Colorado shot 40.0 percent from the field (22-of-55) and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc (10-of-29), while winning the rebounding battle with 40 total boards. The Bears also tallied 13 assists, scored 24 points in the paint, and received 15 points from the bench to provide important production in a tightly contested road game. Northern Colorado led by as many as 16 late in the third quarter before Montana mounted a strong push in the final period. The Bears stayed composed in the closing minutes, made timely defensive stops, and sealed the two-point victory at the free-throw line.

UP NEXT: Northern Colorado will turn its attention to postseason play as the Bears head to Boise, Idaho for the Big Sky Conference Championship Tournament. UNC will open the tournament in the Women's Third Round (WBB Session 3) on Monday, March 9 in Boise.

BUY 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.

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