GREELEY — Chris Kaba sank a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left and Will Figures scored 23 points as Northern Colorado edged Eastern Washington 58-54 on Thursday night.
Kaba, who was subbing for the Bears’ injured second-leading scorer, Devon Beitzel, had 14 points and made all three of his 3-pointers in the second half. Mike Proctor added 11 points for Northern Colorado (21-6, 10-4 Big Sky). Beitzel broke his left ankle in the Bears’ previous game.
Northern Colorado avoided its first losing streak of the year.
Jeffrey Forbes led Eastern Washington (8-19, 4-9) with 15 points. The Eagles had 17 turnovers and were denied a season-high three-game winning streak.
Mark Dunn’s only basket of the game, a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left, gave Eastern Washington a brief lead, 54-53. Following a timeout, the Bears worked the ball around the perimeter and Kaba made a wide-open 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Forbes missed a runner in the lane with 4.5 seconds left and Figures sealed the victory with two free throws.
