‘We didn’t expect to lose this game’: Eighth-seeded Idaho State upsets No. 2 Northern Colorado in Big Sky Conference quarterfinal 

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.”