GREELEY — All the Northern Colorado Bears needed Saturday night was a second chance.
They got a lot of them, cashing in 27 second-chance points on the way to an 85-72 victory over Portland State in a Big Sky Conference men’s basketball game.
And in winning, the Bears (13-9, 9-2 Big Sky) created a one-game lead over Montana atop the conference standings.
There may not have been a bigger second-chance opportunity than the one UNC guard Tate Unruh converted with 1:04 left. The 6-foot-4 freshman missed a free throw but grabbed the rebound and scored on a layup. That thwarted a late run by the Vikings and opened an 82-72 lead for the Bears going into the final minute.
“I got a lucky bounce off the free throw and tried to make a play,” Unruh said. “They made a run at us at the end, and we had to step it up.”
UNC’s 27-4 advantage in second- chance points wasn’t an accident. The Bears mustered a 43-20 advantage in rebounds, with 18 of them coming off the offensive glass.
“They killed us on the boards,” Portland State coach Tyler Geving said. “Their second-chance points were unbelievable.”
While the Bears could enter the final month of the regular season with the conference lead, first-year UNC coach B.J. Hill wasn’t putting anything in the bank.
“I don’t think we’re playing all that well,” Hill said. “There still is plenty of room for growth. I wouldn’t say I’m pleased, but I’m not going to complain about a win. I’ll look at the good points in this game, and there were definitely some good things we can take from it.”
He can start with the rebounding of Mike Proctor, Emmanuel Addo and Elliott Lloyd. Proctor grabbed nine rebounds, seven offensive. Addo had eight total, five offensive, and Lloyd had nine rebounds.
The Bears showed signs of giving Portland State (11-12, 4-7) a critical second chance of its own.
With UNC leading 77-56, the Vikings went on a 14-0 run using some crafty 3-point shooting and trailed 77-70 with 1:53 left.
But free throws by guard Devin Beitzel and Unruh’s putback placed the Bears back in command.
PORTLAND STATE (11-12, 4-7 BIG SKY)
Thomas 4-7 5-5 13, Nelson 2-10 0-0 6, Odum 3-8 4-4 12, Jones 2-6 0-0 6, Harriel 1-10 4-5 7, Guede 3-5 3-3 10, Brandon 2-2 0-0 6, Johnson 3-3 3-3 12. Totals 20-51 19-20 72.
NORTHERN COLORADO (13-9, 9-2)
Addo 7-11 0-0 14, Montgomery 1-3 3-4 5, Lloyd 1-6 2-2 4, Unruh 5-9 2-3 13, Beitzel 4-9 4-4 15, Garnica 2-6 0-0 4, Kaba 2-4 2-2 8, Kingman 5-7 1-2 12, Proctor 5-7 0-0 10. Totals 32-62 14-17 85.
Halftime — UNC 41-28. 3-point goals — Portland State 13-30 (Johnson 3-3, Brandon 2-2, Odum 2-4, Jones 2-5, Nelson 2-7, Guede 1-2, Harriel 1-7). UNC 7-23 (Beitzel 3-7, Kaba 2-3, Unruh 1-3, Kingman 1-3, Garnica 0-3, Lloyd 0-4). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Portland State 20 (Nelson 5). UNC 43 (Lloyd 9, Proctor 9). Assists — Portland State 14 (Johnson 4, Jones 4). UNC (Beitzel 6). Total fouls — Portland State 18, UNC 15. A — 2,222.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
