Northern Colorado picked up an 81-78 win over Hawaii

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bears Claw Past Hawaii with a Bevy of Threes

By Ryan Pfeifer

https://bit.ly/3wDfT4v

Game Book Attached

HONOLULU, Hawaii – It was splash after splash after splash for Northern Colorado Men’s basketball as they improved to 2-0 on the year with an 81-78 victory over Hawaii Thursday night. The Bears made 15 three-pointers defeating the host Rainbow Warriors in game two of the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic.

Dru Kuxhausen was a huge spark off the bench with 15 points in the first half. He made four threes and was fouled shooting another making all three free throws to help Northern Colorado jump out to a big first half lead. He finished the night with 21 points shooting 6-of-11 from behind the arc.

Daylen Kountz matched Kuxhausen with a game-high 21 points.

As Kuxhausen came into the game, Northern Colorado went on a 13-0 run to go from tied to up 13. Hawaii was unable to buy a basket, going [6:38] without a score.

By the time the dust settled Northern Colorado made eight threes in the first half from four different players to lead 39-23.

While UNC shot well themselves, they held Hawaii to 28.6% shooting.

The Bears went on a 15-0 run covering the final minute of the first half into the first [3:30] of the second to make it a 26-point game. Bodie Hume, who only scored two points in the first half, came out and scored eight straight points to begin the half.

Looking to be in cruise control Hawaii had other ideas going on a 10-0 and 14-3 run to cut Northern Colorado’s lead to single digits inside the final six minutes.

Dalton Knecht & Kuxhausen hit some key threes down the stretch that turned out imperative in the end to secure the win.

Another 9-0 run from Hawaii put the pressure on the Bears down the stretch, but they were able to ice away the game at the free throw line.

What They Said
Head Coach Steve Smiley
How big of a spark was Dru off the bench?
“Dru was huge. He has the ability to get going from long distances, and he finally got some great looks early tonight. He also hit some huge looks in the second half to help us hold on.”

What helped the team get so many good looks from three tonight?
“We definitely got great looks from three all night, and I think there were a couple of different reasons why that was, starting with our guys attacking in transition and really sharing the ball. In the half-court, we knew Hawaii didn’t want to switch screens, so we were able to get some rotations on screening action that opened up the three-point line.

Two straight close games, how has the team responded grown in those two situations?
“You can’t put a price tag on being in these situations and learning, whether you win or lose. We did a lot of things well down the stretch, and we have a lot that we also need to work on quickly. Being in back-to-back tough games, especially tonight in a legitimate hostile road environment is invaluable for the growth of our team. Our team could have easily folded the last several minutes tonight when Hawaii made that big run, but we did just enough to hold on.

Stat of the Game
Northern Colorado made 15 threes on the night. It was more makes than any game in 2020-21 and the most since the team’s final game of the 2019-20 season when they made 16 at Montana State. Five different players hit a three.

Game Notes
– After going scoreless last night, Dru Kuxhausen filled up the basket with 21 points making six of UNC’s 15 threes.
– Daylen Kountz had his second straight 20-plus point game going for 21 Thursday after scoring 22 against Pacific. He matched his career-best in assists with four.
– Bodie Hume cracked double figures again with 16 points. He added in two rebounds, two assists and a block.
– Kur Jongkuch extended his double figure rebound streak to eight games with 11 rebounds.
– Dalton Knecht had his first career-double in the Blue and Gold with 11 points.
– UNC is now 2-0 all-time against Hawaii all-time.

What’s Ahead
UNC concludes its trip to Hawaii on Saturday when they face Hawaii-Hilo at 7:30 pm MT.

Northern Colorado’s season opener is set for Monday, November 15 at 6 pm against Colorado College. Tickets for the entire 2021-22 slate are on sale now alongside single game tickets at UNCBears.com/Tickets.