The University of Northern Colorado women’s basketball team didn’t play its best game of the year Wednesday night in a win over Kansas City in Greeley.
UNC played played well in the second half of the 72-59 win in the first of two Big Sky Conference-Summit League Challenge games this week.
UNC shook off a shaky first quarter, showed better in the second quarter before hopping all over the Roos in the third to take charge and improve to 7-2 this season.
Bears’ head coach Kristen Mattio said the game ranks “right up there” with others UNC has played only about a month into the season. Shining brighter in the coach’s mind are two tight wins in Chicago the weekend before Thanksgiving. UNC beat Campbell and DePaul at DePaul’s Blue Demon Classic, leading Mattio to say the Bears “grew up a lot” in those two days.
UNC defeated Campbell in overtime Nov. 21 in its first game at the Blue Demon Classic hosted by DePaul. The next day, UNC trailed DePaul 60-57 with 14 seconds remaining. Heather Baymon cut the Blue Demon’s lead to one point with five seconds to play. After a DePaul turnover, Neenah George made a layup at the buzzer for the 61-60 win.
PHOTOS: UNC women’s basketball beats Kansas City
In the second game of the season, the Bears beat Lamar of the Southland Conference 72-68 in overtime at home.
“Talking about this gritty and toughness that you have to have to win, yeah, you have to be pretty too and be able to score the ball,” Mattio said. “But, we have been growing and maturing. I think that is the positive thing, that these battles are not new to us.”
UNC goes to the University of Nebraska Omaha later this week for the second and final Big Sky-Summit League Challenge game Saturday afternoon.
The UNC men's team is also playing Big Sky-Summit League games this week. The Bears defeated Omaha on the road Wednesday in their first game of the interconference challenge. UNC improved to 8-1 for the team’s best start since the 2009-10 season. The men host the University of South Dakota on Saturday evening in their second game of the challenge.
Against Kansas City, UNC junior forward Tatum West had a double-double with 18 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. West's rebound total included nine offensive rebounds, and she led four players scoring in double figures. Senior forward Aniah Hall came off the bench for 15 points, and guards Gabi Fields and George added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
“I'm more of a next-play like player, so if I make a good play, it's all about getting that stop,” West said. “We make a good play, get a stop, do it again, and that's how we get the lead back. I think that’s really what we did tonight. So I think that's what my mindset is out there.”
Northern Colorado Bears forward Tatum West (24) puts up a shot during a women's basketball game against the Kansas City Kangaroos at the Bank of Colorado Arena on the campus of Northern Colorado University in Greeley on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)UNC is currently playing without senior guard London Gamble, who was the team's leading scorer last year after transferring into the program. Mattio said Gamble is not going to be with the Bears for a while. She is on a break from basketball.
Mattio said the leadership of players such as West and Hall comes from their maturity. This is Hall’s fourth season in the program and West’s third. Mattio said the young women know games are 40 minutes long — they are not won or lost only because of the halftime score. The players and coaches try to figure out how to fix mistakes and make adjustments to win.
Hall said UNC’s identity on the court starts with its defense. The Bears pressure the ball a lot, and they want defense to set up the offense.
Tatum shot 6 of 8 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. Hall was 7 of 7 from the line, Fields 4 of 4 and George 5 of 6, helping the Bears convert 89.2% of their free throws (25 of 28).
UNC made only 14% from 3-point range (3 of 22), which Mattio said was an aberration.
West came up with a key offensive rebound early in the fourth quarter. The play led to a foul, and she hit one of two from the line to start a game-sealing 7-0 run.
Northern Colorado Bears forward Erin Powell (8) and forward Aniah Hall (22) talk with each other during a women's basketball game against the Kansas City Kangaroos at the Bank of Colorado Arena on the campus of Northern Colorado University in Greeley on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)West was a big part of the UNC comeback in the third quarter. The Bears scored only eight points in the first quarter on 2 of 11 shooting from the field. They closed Kansas City’s lead at halftime to 34-27 with a 19-point second quarter.
"Those are the things that, yeah, go a long ways with somebody that's a veteran that understands the 40 minute fight that you got," Mattio said.
One of West’s offensive rebounds early in the fourth quarter led to a foul, and she made one of two from the free throw line as part of a game-sealing 7-0 run, pushing UNC’s lead to 10 points.
In the third quarter, while UNC was trying to come back, West knocked a ball away from a Kansas City player near half court. Teammate Lele Tanuvasa came up with the loose ball, and George hit a 3 on the Bears’ possession to cut Kansas City’s lead to 35-30.
Northern Colorado Bears forward Tatum West (24) looks of an opportunity to pass the ball during a women's basketball game against the Kansas City Kangaroos at the Bank of Colorado Arena on the campus of Northern Colorado University in Greeley on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)West tied the game later in the third quarter on a three-point play after being fouled. She gave UNC a 1-point lead inside a minute to go in the quarter with two foul shots. UNC led 47-45 with six seconds left in the third when West stole the ball. She made the layup, was fouled and hit the free throw to complete another three-point play.
"I think this (game) was just a really good testament for us that we have what it takes to keep fighting," Hall said. "And when we find ourselves in situations like this, we don't even flinch because we're gritty, we're hard working. We'll get it."
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