GREELEY — Someday, Colorado State coach Tim Miles hopes to create an atmosphere at Moby Arena like the floor-rushing packed house less than an hour to the southeast.
But for now, and maybe this season, Northern Colorado (7-0), with half its roster from Colorado high schools, is the hottest team in the state. The Bears led from start to finish, save for one tie, finishing off CSU 70-63 on Tuesday night.
“It was huge,” said Smoky Hill graduate Will Figures, a senior point guard who scored a game-high 18 points and went 8-for-8 at the free-throw line. “It’s always a huge in-state rivalry. We’re playing good. We’re playing smart.”
The Bears came in ranked No. 23 on ‘s midmajor top 25.
In Tad Boyle’s fourth season as coach, UNC is off to its best start since the 1964-65 season.
“I felt we were in control pretty much the whole game,” he said. “Our kids just have a resolve, a toughness about them.”
A standing-room crowd of 3,192 crammed into Butler-Hancock’s 2,734 seats for UNC’s home opener.
“The environment is neat for UNC,” Miles said. “It was fun being the villain coming in here. And maybe someday, if we win some games, we’ll get Moby like this.”
Dorian Green, a freshman from Lawrence, Kan., led the Rams with 13 points despite flu-like symptoms and receiving a gash over his eye that required stitches.
COLORADO STATE (4-3)
Franklin 3-8 4-9 10, McFarland 3-11 2-2 10, Ogide 3-5 2-2 8, Nigon 2-5 1-2 7, Green 3-11 6-7 13, Bocar Ba 2-4 2-2 6, Hornung 0-0 0-0 0, Annese 0-3 1-2 1, Dunn 2-5 0-0 5, Smith 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 19-54 18-26 63.
NORTHERN COLORADO (7-0)
Kaba 3-4 1-2 8, Proctor 2-3 4-4 8, Montgomery 4-10 8-12 16, Bonner 1-4 1-2 4, Beitzel 4-10 3-4 12, Figures 4-7 8-8 18, Lloyd 1-3 1-2 4, Brereton 0-1 0-0 0, Arnold 0-1 0-0 0, Kingman 0-2 0-1 0, Osborne 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-46 26-35 70.
Halftime — UNC 31-26. 3-point goals — CSU 7-20 (Nigon 2-4, McFarland 2-9, Smith 1-1, Dunn 1-1, Green 1-4, Annese 0-1), UNC 6-15 (Figures 2-2, Kaba 1-1, Bonner 1-2, Lloyd 1-2, Beitzel 1-3, Osborne 0-1, Arnold 0-1, Brereton 0-1, Kingman 0-1, Montgomery 0-1). Fouled out — Hornung, Nigon. Rebounds — CSU 41 (Franklin 10), UNC 29 (Montgomery 7). Assists — CSU 6 (Franklin 2), UNC 10 (Beitzel 5). Total fouls — CSU 27, UNC 20. A — 3,192.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
