UNC Mirror

Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Felicia Sheumaker University of Northern Colorado forward Kirk Archibeque, left, tries to rebound the ball over the School of Mine's Ben Mohr during UNC's 92-79 victory against the Orediggers.

The Northern Colorado men's basketball team started their 2007-08 season with a 92-79 exhibition win against the Colorado School of Mines.

Things weren't easy for the Bears, who trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half. The Bears struggled in the first half, committing 18 fouls, 13 turnovers and being out rebounded by the Orediggers, who took a 45-33 lead into the halftime break. The Bears then turned things around in the second half, outscoring Mines 59-34, forcing 19 turnovers and out rebounding the Orediggers, 15-8.

"Obviously we played with a little more sense of urgency in the second half," Bears coach Tad Boyle said.

The second-half rally was keyed by the Bears going to a full court press, causing a lot of problems for the Orediggers. Boyle said the press would also be useful in the future.

"It's not going to be 40 minutes of hell like (former Arkansas coach) Nolan Richardson, but we want to play fast," Boyle said.

Boyle also said the team needed to get better in the low post and on the defensive end. The Bears allowed the Orediggers to make 53 percent of their shots from the floor.

"I had two words written on the board before the game, defend and rebound," Boyle said. "I don't think we did either one very well tonight."

The Bears got contributions from a wide variety of players, as 12 different Bears played at least 11 minutes, and six had at least seven points. Forward Jabril Banks led the Bears with 20 points in the game, making all seven shots he attempted from the floor and all six of his free throws. Banks also added five rebounds.

"It's a good sign of depth, if one guy doesn't have it one night, other guys can pick up the slack," senior guard Thanasi Panagiotakopoulos said.

Both the players and Boyle agreed the game was a good learning experience and did a lot to help them prepare for the regular season.

"The thing about exhibition games is that you find out what you need to work on," Boyle said.

The Bears will begin the regular season on Friday against the Vermont Military Institute Keydets in the Air Force Classic. VMI led the nation in scoring last season, averaging 100.9 points per game. VMI forward Reggie Williams led the nation in scoring as an individual last season, averaging more than 28 points per game.

"If we let them shoot over 50 percent, they might score 150," Boyle said.

The Bears will play either Air Force or Dartmouth on Saturday, depending on Friday's results.

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