Northern Colorado men’s basketball secured a victory over Portland in overtime, winning 86-80 at the Chiles Center on Saturday night during the Portland Invitational. This result brings Northern Colorado’s season record to 4-1.
Quinn Denker led Northern Colorado with 29 points, making 8 of his 14 shots from the field and converting all ten of his free throws. Eight of those free throws came in overtime, helping to secure the win. Denker also contributed seven assists and six rebounds while playing 43 minutes.
The Bears maintained a lead for more than half the game, building a ten-point advantage in the second half before Portland responded with a 12-0 run that gave them a brief lead. With Portland ahead by two points in the closing seconds of regulation, Denker hit a pull-up jumper with 16 seconds left to tie the game. The Pilots then stopped Northern Colorado’s final possession, sending the contest into overtime.
In overtime, Egan Shields scored first for Northern Colorado and helped lead an 8-2 run as the team got stops on four consecutive Portland possessions. Shields finished with 15 points on six-of-eight shooting and collected a career-high eleven rebounds for his first double-double.
Northern Colorado saw contributions across its lineup: Ibu Yamazaki added twelve points and five rebounds while making three three-pointers; Brock Wisne scored fourteen points and grabbed four boards; Zach Bloch added eight points and two steals.
The Bears shot 46.3 percent from the field (31-for-67) and converted sixteen out of eighteen free throws. They also outscored Portland on fast breaks, 19-7, and held their opponent to eleven points in overtime. Cameron Williams led Portland with fifteen points and eight rebounds.
Northern Colorado is scheduled to play Cal State – Fullerton tomorrow at noon Mountain Time to close out their participation in the tournament.
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