UNC Recap: It was some more home cooking for Northern Colorado men’s basketball as they defeated Colorado College 104-38 on Tuesday night. The win improves UNC’s record to 2-1 on the young season.
Northern Colorado outscored CC 56-10 in the second half after the Tigers kept it competitive in the first.
Troy’s Take: Much like last Friday’s game with Incarnate Word, it took a bit for the Bears to get going. UNC led only by six after a nearly three minute stretch where neither team scored, then exploded for an 14-0 run to close the first half to lead by 20.
That, plus some exhorting by head coach Jeff Linder to play better defense, got Northern Colorado into the groove as they blew out the Tigers the rest of the way. CC made only 5 of 28 FG after halftime after having knocked down shots at a 48% clip in the first half.
The Bears will need that defense going forward with the coming road games at Northern Iowa and West Virginia, but can’t afford to wait until being “encouraged” at halftime to turn up the intensity.
The offense played at its best of the season against the overmatched Tigers, which, hopefully, is a sign of things to come, but defense is where UNC knows it can influence a game throughout even if the shots aren’t falling.
Next Up: at Northern Iowa, Saturday, 11/6; tipoff at 11:05 MT on 1310 KFKA & 1310kfka.com
Post-game interview with Jeff Linder:
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