Northern Colorado’s men’s basketball team lost to Northern Arizona 81-77 on Saturday night in Flagstaff, Arizona. Despite shooting 50 percent from the field and nearly 45 percent from three-point range, the Bears could not overcome a late surge by the Lumberjacks.
Four players from Northern Colorado scored in double figures. Brock Wisne led with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting, adding five assists and five rebounds. Zach Bloch made five three-pointers and finished with 17 points. Quinn Denker contributed 16 points and five assists.
Bloch reached a career milestone by tying for fifth place in games played in program history with 122 appearances.
The Bears started strong offensively, shooting nearly 47 percent in the first half. They extended their lead early in the second half with key baskets from Ring Nyeri and Bloch. However, Northern Arizona responded with a run of its own, shooting over 63 percent after halftime.
Northern Colorado narrowed a late five-point deficit to two points in the final minute, but Northern Arizona secured the win at the free-throw line.
The Bears made 13 of their 29 attempts from beyond the arc but committed 15 turnovers. Northern Arizona countered by making nearly 60 percent of its shots overall and over 56 percent from three-point range.
Northern Colorado now holds an overall record of 11-10 and is 1-7 in Big Sky Conference play. Northern Arizona improves to a record of 7-14 overall and also stands at 1-7 in conference games.
Northern Colorado will return home for two Big Sky games at Bank of Colorado Arena. The team faces Idaho Vandals on Thursday, January 29 at 7 p.m. MST, followed by Eastern Washington Eagles on Saturday, January 31 at 2 p.m. MST. Both games will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and broadcast on Pirate Radio as the Bears continue their conference schedule in Greeley.
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