N Colorado defeats Idaho St 85-72

N Colorado Outlasts Idaho St in Thrilling Conference Showdown

The Bank of Colorado Arena was electric on Saturday night as the Northern Colorado Bears hosted their in-state rivals, the Idaho State Bengals. In a high-flying, back-and-forth contest, the home team pulled away for an 85-72 victory.

At halftime, the Bears led by a modest 15 points, but they would go on to outscore Idaho St by 13 points over the final 20 minutes. The difference in free throw shooting and strong defensive play proved to be too much for the Bengals to overcome.

N Colorado's Zach Bloch was nearly unstoppable from beyond the arc, connecting on 6 of 9 three-point attempts to score 26 points. Egan Shields chipped in with six rebounds and five points, while Quinn Denker dished out 11 assists to lead his team.

For Idaho St, Jamison Guerra led the way with 26 points but struggled from beyond the arc, making just two of his three attempts. Cheikh Sow provided a boost on the glass with 12 rebounds, but the Bengals' offense ultimately couldn't overcome their shooting woes.

The game's advanced statistics told an interesting story as well. N Colorado's efficient field goal percentage (52.0%) and free throw shooting (73.0%) gave them a significant edge over Idaho St (46.0% FG, 74.0% FT). Meanwhile, the Bengals' poor three-point shooting (18.0%) and turnovers per possession ratio (15.4) contributed to their defeat.

In terms of conference standings, this win for N Colorado keeps their hopes alive in a tight battle for first place. Idaho St's loss drops them further behind the pack, making this matchup a crucial one in the coming weeks.

As the two teams head back into action, they'll look to bounce back from tonight's results and regain their momentum in the conference standings.