FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Last second basket rattles out, Bears fall to Montana State
UNC men’s basketball had four players in double figures scoring Saturday afternoon.
By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com
Box Score Attached
GREELEY, Colo. – Three, two, one…shots in the air all eyes on the ball, rattle, rattle halfway down and then out. Northern Colorado men’s basketball was half a basketball away from a dramatic overtime win, instead, Montana State leaves Greeley with a 76-74 win.
The Bears used a final seconds shot to force overtime when Tre’Shon Smoots drilled a three with 4.0 seconds left.
It was a tale of two halves for the Bears. UNC led at the break 40-29 thanks to making seven three-pointers and a pair of runs.
Northern Colorado took control of the first half with a 13-2 run between Matt Johnson II and Bodie Hume. Johnson II scored eight points and Hume added in the other five. Three of the team’s seven first half triples came during the run.
Johnson II followed up a 20-point performance on Thursday by scoring 21 on Saturday. That tied his career-high.
UNC extended its lead to 13 points on a 7-0 run, including a pair of baskets by Greg Bowie II. The second of his two baskets came as the shot clock expired.
In the second half, the three-point ball stopped falling and Montana State chipped away at the UNC lead. The Bobcats took a two-point advantage with [5:48] left when they went on a 13-0 run.
Montana State’s lead grew to as much as five points with [1:38] left before Smoots nailed his three to force overtime.
What They Said
www.youtube.com/embed/L7RRtLz4ei0
Stat of the Game
It was a two-man show for Montana State. Xavier Bishop and Amin Adamu combined for 58 of MSU’s points.
Game Notes
– Four Bears finished the game in double figures scoring. Matt Johnson II led the way with 21 followed by Bodie Hume (14), Kur Jockuch (12) and Greg Bowie II (12).
– Johnson II not only matched his career-high scoring but also grabbed a career-best seven rebounds.
– Greg Bowie II was big off the bench for UNC scoring 12 points and grabbing four boards.
– Over the two games, MSU shot just 23.6% from behind the arc. UNC is holding its opponents to 20.8% three-point shooting over the last four games.
– Northern Colorado had its best game of the season at the free throw line making 19 of 22 attempts (86.4%).
Around the Big Sky
Southern Utah stayed undefeated on the season in Big Sky play completing their sweep over Idaho 83-67. Meanwhile, Idaho State improved to 3-1 in conference play with its sweep of NAU this weekend.
What’s Ahead
As the Big Sky schedule ramps up, UNC heads to Moscow, Idaho next week for a pair of games against Idaho. The Bears and Vandals tipoff at 7 pm on Thursday, January 14 and 1 pm on Saturday, January 16.
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
