Free Live Odds - Scores and Odds - Sports News - Sports Information - Live Scores - Sports Statistics - Sports Articles - Sports Standings - Live Scor

GAME NOTES: The streaking Northern Colorado Bears play the first of back-to- back road games tonight when they challenge the Idaho State Bengals in a Big Sky Conference showdown at Reed Gym in Pocatello.

The Bears have won two straight and four of their last five outings to move into second place in the Big Sky standings, trailing only Weber State. The squad was last in action on Sunday when it needed overtime to dismiss the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 70-63, at home.

The Bengals, who have this game slated for the intimate Reed Gym instead of the more spacious Holt Arena, are trying to put an end to a three-game slide right now as they begin a three-game homestand. The squad suffered a 91-68 setback at Montana last weekend, dropping the Bengals to 3-8 in conference and a meager 1-13 on the road.

The Bears won the first meeting of the season back on January 9th at home by a score of 78-66, which means the all-time series now stands at 27-13 in favor of Idaho State. Unfortunately for UNC, it has won only twice in 17 chances on the road in this series and only once since 1950 in Pocatello.

Devon Beitzel knocked down back-to-back threes in the overtime period against Northern Arizona to give the Bears the seven-point win at home last weekend. Beitzel, who converted 6-of-11 shots out on the perimeter, finished with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Will Figures added 21 points and nine boards. Managing to complete the double-double effort was Mike Proctor with 14 points and a team-best 11 boards in the triumph. Beitzel, has been superb from long range this season, converting his attempts at a 44.5 percent clip, a level of accuracy that is nearly equal to the team's 44.7 percent shooting from the floor overall this season. He is putting up 14.9 ppg and, when combined with Figures (16.1 ppg), accounts for 115 assists to help get the rest of their teammates involved in the action.

Any other time shooting 47.9 percent from the field might keep you in contention, but for the Bengals, they could not stop Montana from converting 65.3 percent of its field goal attempts in the 23-point decision the last time out. Broderick Gilchrest led four starters in double figures with his 22 points, followed by Austin Kilpatrick and Chron Tatum with 13 points apiece and Demetrius Monroe with 10. The one player who was absent from that list was Amorrow Morgan who missed the game with a sprained ankle and is questionable for tonight's matchup as a result. Without Morgan in the lineup, if that is the case, the Bengals miss 17.5 ppg from their top scorer. Left to shoulder more of the load is Gilchrest who is averaging 15.7 ppg and is also first on the team with his 69 assists and 46 steals, which means he is not one to take off plays at either end of the floor.

Even if Morgan is able to amble out onto the court he won't be the top-notch player that the Bengals expect, which is why this is a meeting that is destined to belong to Northern Colorado either way.