The Northern Colorado men’s basketball team never imagined going home with a season-ending 83-76 loss to Idaho State in its first game in the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
The second-seeded Bears beat the No. 8 Bengals twice during the regular season, though by a total of just seven points including a double overtime win early last month in Greeley.
A loss to the Bengals in the teams’ third game of the season was not a reality the Bears saw coming at Idaho Central Arena in Boise.
Idaho State (7-11 in Big Sky this season, 14-19 overall) held UNC leading scorer Saint Thomas to 12 points and without a point in the first half. The Bengals took charge after spotting UNC a 7-0 lead 3-minutes, 21 seconds into the game to end the Bears’ bid for a second semifinal appearance in three years.
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UNC (12-6 Big Sky, 19-13 overall) played in the Big Sky championship two years ago, losing to Montana Stat 87-66 in Boise. That year, UNC received a bid to the College Basketball Invitational Tournament and advanced to the semifinals before losing to the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Daytona Beach, Florida.
“We didn’t expect to lose this game,” sophomore guard Langston Reynolds said in a post-game media session, describing the atmosphere in the Bears locker room as low. “We all know we could’ve played better. Every single guy that stepped on the floor, we all know we could’ve played better. We just didn’t do it.”
Idaho State men’s basketball player Kiree Huie, left, goes up over Northern Colorado’s Riley Abercrombie, center, during a Big Sky Conference tournament game Sunday, March 10, 2024 at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho. Huie scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in the eighth-seeded Bengals’ 83-76 win over No. 2 Northern Colorado. (Anne Delaney/Staff Reporter).
Guard Dejour Reaves led UNC (12-6 Big Sky, 19-13 overall) with 19 points, Reynolds added 16 and Thomas was held eight below his season average on 4 of 11 shooting from the floor.
Idaho State coach Ryan Looney said Bengals’ team defense was behind Thomas’ off night from the floor.
Thomas scored in double figures in 28 of 31 games going into Sunday night’s quarterfinal. A 6-foot-7 junior, Thomas was one of the most dominating players in the conference during the regular season. He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds in his first season in Greeley after transferring from Loyola Chicago.
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His averages in points and rebounds were second to Weber State’s Dillon Jones, who was the conference player of the year. Jones averaged 20.8 points and 10.1 rebounds. Thomas was named newcomer of the year when conference awards were announced last week.
Thomas scored his first basket 74 seconds into the second half, and he made his first and only 3-pointer with 2:27 left to make it a nine-point game at 69-60. Thomas recorded a season-high nine assists, six rebounds, six turnovers and two steals.
“We had a very specific plan on what we wanted to do with ball screens and hand offs that he was in,” Looney said of Thomas. “Early in the game, we also had a very distinct coverage we wanted to execute when he took the ball into the post.”
Looney said Idaho State through the game changed how they defended Thomas on ball-screen coverage, which the coach said he thought was disrupting for Thomas. Looney also credited forward Isaiah Griffin for how he defended Thomas.
“I think he took some pride in that match-up tonight,” Looney said, noting guard Maleek Arington was in on the screen-defense coverage involving Thomas and other Bears players.
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Idaho State guard Miguel Tomley scored 28 points including 18 in the second half and four other Bengals’ players scored in double figures. Griffin added 14, forward Kiree Huie had 13, Arington scored 11 and center Brayden Parker had 10 points.
UNC coach Steve Smiley said the Bears’ hurt themselves with the turnovers. Idaho State then slowed the tempo of the game, which was good for the Bengals and not good for the fast-pace and high-scoring Bears.
The Bengals scored 16 points off eight UNC turnovers in the first half and had 23 points on 12 Bears’ turnovers for the game.
“The turnovers just killed us,” Smiley. “Second half, they got a couple of early shots and scored on us. We just struggled to score. Couldn’t keep pace. They are an extremely dangerous eight seed and everyone knew it.”
Northern Colorado men’s basketball coach Steve Smiley, center, confers with Bears’ assistant coaches Houston Reed, left, and Dorian Green during a time out against Idaho State in a Big Sky Conference second-round game Sunday, March 10, 2024 at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho. The eighth-seeded Bengals defeated No. 2 Northern Colorado 83-76 to advance to the tournament semifinals. UNC’s season ends at 19-13. (Anne Delaney/Staff Reporter).
About 35 minutes before UNC stepped on the court, tournament top seed Eastern Washington was upset by No. 10 Sacramento State. The Hornets’ 74-69 victory eliminated one of two teams in the tournament to sweep UNC during the regular season. The other team to beat UNC twice this year is No. 4 Weber State, which meets No. 5 Montana State in the third round at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
UNC, then, started its game Sunday night in a seemingly good position. The Bears wouldn’t see either Eastern Washington or Weber State until the finals based on the seeding.
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Idaho State will play either No. 3 Montana or No. 6 Portland State in the semifinals at 9 p.m. Tuesday. The semifinal is scheduled to be telecast on ESPN2. Montana and Portland State play a third-round game at 8 p.m. Monday, following the Weber State-Montana State game.
UNC’s loss came a day after the Windsor High School boys team lost to Mesa Ridge 57-53 in the Class 5A state title game in Denver. Madden Smiley, Smiley’s son, Johnathan Reed, the son of Bears’ assistant coach Houston Reed were the Wizards’ best players through the season.
“The highs are high and the lows are low when you’re chasing championships,” Smiley said of the losses. “That was gut wrenching and this is gut wrenching because you never anticipate losing. You never do. No coach here does. Everyone thinks they’re going to win. We sure thought we were going to win.”
The rotunda as seen on March 16, 2026, at the Idaho State Capitol Building in Boise. (Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)
Ahead of the 2026 primary elections, the League of Women Voters of Idaho is teaming up with several local groups to hold candidate forums and voter education events in the hopes of boosting voter turnout.
The groups invited all candidates for public office in Ada and Canyon County’s commissions, and inlegislative district 11, which is in Canyon County.
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The groups that are hosting include Mormon Women for Ethical Government, the Caldwell Chamber of Commerce, the American Association of University Women’s Boise branch and the College of Idaho’s Masters of Applied Public Policy Program.
Here’s when and where the forums are:
Ada County Commissioner District 2:7-8:30 p.m. April 24 at Meridian City Hall, located at 33 E. Broadway Ave. in Meridian.
Ada County Commissioner District 1:7-8:30 p.m. April 28 at Valley View Elementary School, located at 3555 N Milwaukee St. in Boise.
Legislative District 11:6:30-8:30 p.m. April 30 at Caldwell City Hall, located at 205 S. 6th Ave. in Caldwell.
Canyon County Commissioner:6-8 p.m. May 7 at Caldwell City Hall, 205 S. 6th Ave. in Caldwell.
Learn more about candidates at the League of Women Voters’ online voter guide,VOTE411.ORG.
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BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Idaho drivers wanting to celebrate America’s anniversary this year now have a unique way to do that. The Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles has released an America 250 license plate to mark the occasion.
The new license plate includes an American flag on a blue background with the words “America 250” and the dates “1776 – 2026.”
The plate requires an extra fee that will go toward supporting the Idaho Heritage Trust, according to an Idaho Transportation Department news release. The specific fee wasn’t listed.
“This plate gives Idahoans a chance to mark a historic milestone and show their pride on the road,” said Lisa McClellan, DMV administrator, in a statement. “We’re proud to offer a design that honors our country’s past while supporting Idaho’s efforts to preserve its own history.”
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The America 250 license plate was released to celebrate a historic national milestone. | Idaho Transportation Department
Idaho’s favorite license plate
The new license plate may give Idaho’s favorite a run for its money.
The Idaho Transportation Department recently held a “Battle of the Plates” vote to find out which license plate Idahoans loved best.
The Forests Forever plate was crowned the champion on April 7. Funds generated from this plate go toward Idaho replanting and reforestation projects, as well as environmental education programs for Idaho students and teachers.
“One of Idaho’s newest plates, Forests Forever made a strong run and came out on top, highlighting just how much Idahoans value our forests and natural resources,” the transportation department said in a social media post.
Idahoans chose Forests Forever as their favorite specialty license plate. | Idaho Transportation Department
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BURLEY (KIVI) — A woman from Burley says the job she once loved became hostile after she returned from maternity leave. She is now sharing her story exclusively with Idaho News 6 as new data shows a rise in workplace discrimination claims across the state.
Hannah Jones says she has worked as a deputy at the Mini-Cassia County Criminal Justice Center for over three years and enjoyed the job before returning from leave.
“It was humiliating, and it seemed really discrediting,” Jones said.
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Jones said she initially had a positive experience at work.
“I love my job. I have gotten to meet a ton of really cool people,” she said.
She said that quickly changed after she returned from maternity leave, when she began hearing comments about breastfeeding.
“I came back, and it was only almost immediate that I started getting some pretty embarrassing comments about me breastfeeding and me having to go to the bathroom to pump,” Jones said.
Jones said supervisors made repeated comments in front of others.
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“They would make comments about how I was a cow and … they would actually make mooing noises at me as I was walking through the hallways and stuff as well in front of inmates and other agencies,” she said.
She also described a more explicit comment from a supervisor.
“One of my male supervisors claimed that he thought I should have responded to a fight with my ‘titties’ out,” Jones said.
Jones said that when she reported the behavior, she felt it was not taken seriously and that she later experienced retaliation.
“I just felt like it wasn’t taken seriously at all,” she said.
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She said she filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Idaho Human Rights Commission, which she says found in her favor.
Jones has since filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and gender discrimination, detailing the same claims she shared with Idaho News 6.
“I started experiencing what I believe to be retaliation … and that’s the point that it kind of got to be too much,” she said.
Her case reflects a broader trend, according to the Idaho Human Rights Commission.
“In the last year, we’ve seen a doubling of the reports of discrimination,” said Ben Earwicker, administrator for the Idaho Human Rights Commission.
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Earwicker said the increase includes cases involving pregnancy and motherhood.
“So postpartum is protected, breastfeeding … reasonable accommodations for those, including private spaces to breastfeed, including time off as needed,” he said.
He said retaliation is also a common claim.
“Retaliation is a much easier claim to prove because usually there’s temporal proximity where the initial reporting of discrimination occurs followed almost immediately by some kind of retaliatory action,” Earwicker said.
Jones said the experience has changed how she views her career and worries it could discourage other women from entering law enforcement.
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“I feel my heart break for women that are coming into the force, knowing that that’s probably going to happen to them too,” she said.
Jones’ lawsuit is ongoing. The legal firm representing the Cassia County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.
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