Bears keep Vandals at bay in second half to win 73-67

From staff reports

GREELEY, Colo. – Idaho drew even, but the Vandals couldn’t pull ahead.

Northern Colorado turned back Idaho’s attempt to take control in the second half, and the Bears earned a 73-67 win in a Big Sky Conference men’s basketball game .

Dalton Knecht’s layup provided Northern Colorado (7-13, 2-6 Big Sky) with a 54-45 lead with 10 minutes, 42 seconds left , but Divant’e Moffitt scored 10 points over the next 4 minutes to close the deficit to 57-55.

Moffitt, who led the Vandals with 26 points, tied the game at 60 with a layin with 4:12 left. After the Bears regained the lead, Isaac Jones’ free throw trimmed Idaho’s deficit to 70-67 with 58 seconds remaining. The Vandals didn’t score again, however.

Jones chipped in 17 points, and Trey Smith scored 11 off the bench for the Vandals (8-13, 2-6).

Northern Colorado was opportunistic when the Vandals turned the ball over. Idaho’s 12 turnovers resulted in 14 fast-break points for the Bears. The Vandals scored just two points on the break on eight Northern Colorado turnovers.

Knecht led all scorers with 34 points. He made 14-of-21 attempts from the field, including 3 of 7 from distance.

The Bears’ Daylen Kountz added 21 points, and Brock Wisne grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.