Beitzel Lifts Bears To Overtime Win
Figures Ices Win With Late Free Throws
GREELEY—Guard Devon Beitzel hit back-to-back three-pointers in overtime to propel Northern Colorado to a 70-63 win over Northern Arizona on Sunday.
With UNC (19-5, 8-3) down 58-56, Beitzel stole the ball from NAU (11-11, 5-6) guard Cameron Jones, who had just rebounded UNC’s missed free throw, and drained a three-pointer from the corner. After a Jones miss, Beitzel came off a curl and drained his sixth three of the game, giving the Bears a four-point lead with just over two minutes to play.
Beitzel finished the game with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting and seven rebounds.
“I was just trying to give the team a spark,” he said.
Beitzel did just that. After a lackluster first half for both him and his team saw UNC trailing 26-25 and Beitzel score just three points, both the guard and his team came alive after the break.
UNC went on a 16-4 run, capped by a Beitzel three-pointer, to open the second half, taking a 41-30 lead.
“Our starters did a great job after halftime building an 11-point lead,” UNC coach Tad Boyle said.
The lead would not last, as the Lumberjacks went on a 13-0 run of their own to grab a 43-41 lead.
“Our bench didn’t respond,” Boyle said.
The Bears were able to take the lead again on a three-pointer from Beitzel that made the score 48-45 with 8:02 to play.
UNC was able to maintain its lead until Jones hit a mid-range jumper with 38 seconds to play that gave the Lumberjacks a 56-55 lead.
On the Bears’ final possession of regulation, forward Mike Proctor was fouled by NAU guard Gabe Jones. Proctor was 3-of-6 on his free throw attempts as he stepped to the foul line with 22 seconds left and his team trailing by one.
“I thought about all three of my prior misses,” Proctor said. “I was thinking about the wrong thing.”
Proctor’s first shot was no good, and his second bounced high off the rim before falling in and tying the game. Proctor recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and eleven rebounds. He also finished with a career-high four blocks.
“He didn’t make any weak moves today,” Boyle said.
NAU ran all 22 seconds off the clock on their final possession of regulation before Rogers missed a three-pointer at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
On the Lumberjacks’ second possession of the extra period, forward Shane Johanssen put back a Jones miss giving NAU a 58-56 lead.
The two threes from Beitzel and a layup by Proctor gave UNC a six-point lead, and guard Will Figures made all six of his free throws down the stretch to put the game on ice. Figures finished the day with 21 points and nine rebounds.
“I can’t say enough about Will Figures,” Boyle said. “He’s beginning to learn how to make an impact on the game without hitting a lot of three-pointers.”
The win kept UNC in second place in the Big Sky and left the Bears in control of their own destiny for a league title with a matchup with first-place Weber State looming next week.
“We had some players step up at different stretches and really big down the stretch to get a victory we had to have,” Boyle said.
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