The Northern Colorado Bears won 76-62 Thursday night, sweeping Idaho for the season. However, both teams took their best jabs at each other in the first half.
With the Bears leading 34-32 with just under a minute left in the half, junior forward Saint Thomas drilled a three-pointer to put the Bears up 37-32, taking that lead into halftime.
Both teams shot the ball relatively well in the first half. The Vandals finished the half shooting 11-for-25 from the field, 4-for-13 from beyond the arc and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line.
Northern Colorado finished 14-for-30 from the field, 4-for-11 from beyond the arc and 5-for-6 from the line. Junior guard Quinn Denker led Idaho with 13 points in the first half.
Both teams traded opening baskets of the second half as the Vandals continued to chip away at the Bear’s lead. With just under 13 minutes to play, Denker knocked down a three to cut the lead to 54-48. The Bears landed the knockout punch when they went on a 13-0 run and stretched the once six-point lead to a 67-48, blowing the game wide open.
Despite a couple late shots from Idaho, the Bears ran away with the game, defeating the Vandals to improve to 17-10 (10-4). Denker led the Vandals and finished with a season-high 23 points. He also added seven rebounds and four assists.
The Bears two-headed attack in Thomas and sophomore forward Brock Wisne combined for 39 points. Thomas finished with 20 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Wisne finished with 19 points and six rebounds to help the Bears secure the victory.
The Vandals drop to 10-17 and (4-10) as they head to Flagstaff to take on the 13-15 (6-8) Northern Arizona Lumberjacks. Idaho will look to avenge their 75-60 loss from the first meeting and regain momentum before heading to the Big Sky tournament in three weeks.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10