Weber State University women’s basketball team lost 65–55 on Jan. 27 to the Northern Colorado Bears.

Weber led by 4 with 4:28 left on the clock after a 14–0 run, but allowed 19 points for the remainder of play.

After committing an and-1 shooting foul and giving up a wide-open 3-pointer to Hannah Simental of Northern Colorado, the Bears were back up by 2 points with two and a half minutes left on the clock.

“We have to have the mindset of winners and not the mindset of, ‘Oh, not again,’ and I think that’s what today was,” coach Velaida Harris said.

Harris believes that collapses in recent close games are due to mental error.

Weber got off to a slow start, shooting 3–12 and committing five turnovers in the first quarter.

Daryn Hickok kicked off the second quarter with a cut, ending the Wildcats’ five-minute scoring drought.

Hickok continued to be a driving force for the Wildcat offense throughout the game, making big plays at crucial moments and ending the game with a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Coming out of halftime, UNC led by 5 points, mostly due to the five turnovers committed by Wildcat center Emma Torbert.

A physical defense from Northern Colorado center Kurstyn Harden forced Torbert to make poor decisions all night. Harden was able to get Torbert to give up the ball 6 times, going well above the Wildcat forward’s average of 2.6 turnovers.

This physicality resulted in Torbert missing some minutes in the second quarter, clutching her ankle as she walked off the court, but she returned for the second half.

Weber continued to fight their way back into the game throughout the third quarter but were often physically outmatched.

This led to a hard fall by starting point guard Aloma Solovi, who was helped off the court, limping halfway through the third quarter.

Solovi has a history of knee issues and has been attempting to play through them. She remained out for the rest of the game but hopped on an exercise bike to test out the leg.

“The fact that she’s playing is a miracle of her own. She’s going to continue to play,” Harris said.

Fast-paced ball movement by Northern Colorado gave the Bears a 12-point lead with three minutes left in the third quarter, but Weber brought the deficit back to 7 with one quarter remaining.

Weber started the quarter aggressively, not going down without a fight, but ultimately it was not enough to come out of the Dee Events Center with a win.

The Wildcats were able to end their six-game losing streak on Jan. 29 against Sacramento State, winning 79–76.