UNC men’s basketball earned an 83-75 win over Denver Wednesday night
By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com
Box Score Attached
DENVER – It was a tale of two halves of the two halves for Northern Colorado men’s basketball in an 83-75 road win over the Denver Pioneers. UNC outscored the Pioneers by a combined 59-34 over the final 10 minutes of each half for its fourth straight win over DU.
The trio of Daylen Kountz, Bodie Hume and Matt Johnson II combined for 68 of the team’s points all reaching 20-plus scoring. Kountz scored a career-high 26 points and Johnson II matched his career-best with 21.
The Bears, like the game, came out to a delayed start trailing by as much as 13 but closed the half strong.
Hume and Kountz caught fire during the final 10 minutes of the first half ending up combining for 26 points. Kountz did the majority of his damage from the free throw line going 8-for-10. UNC ended up making 7-of-12 threes in the half.
The Bears took their first lead of the game with a 9-0 run near the end of the half. All nine points came from Kountz and Hume.
The second half was similar to the first for Northern Colorado, but a 7-0 run sealed the deal for the Bears as they took a 65-57 lead with [5:03] left. UNC took care of business from the charity stripe to secure the win down the stretch.
What They Said
https://soundcloud.com/user-620401685/mens-basketball-postgame-at-denver-12162020
Stat of the Game
The final 10 minutes of each half was the difference in the game as UNC outscored Denver 59-34.
Game Notes
– Daylen Kountz final stat line ended up being 26 points, six rebounds, two assists a steal and a block. He was an impressive 12-of-14 from the free throw line.
– Bodie Hume finished a rebound shy of his third double-double of the year with 21 points, nine rebounds. He added in three blocks and two assists.
– Matt Johnson II went a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe on his way to the 21 points.
– Freshman Jamel Melvin had an impressive night playing a career-high 22 minutes off the bench. He scored four points all from the line, grabbed four rebounds and blocked a pair of shots.
What’s Ahead
Northern Colorado completes a five games in 10 days stretch when they travel to Logan, Utah on Friday to take on Utah State. The game was officially added to the Bears’ schedule on Tuesday.
To stay up to date on all things UNC Men’s Basketball, visit UNCBears.com, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the new UNC Athletics app by clicking here.
Ryan Pfeifer
Director of Strategic Communication
O: 970-351-3645 | C: 720-290-8886
#Bears Strong | @Rpfeifer82
