GARDEN CITY, Colo. (Interstat) — Quinn Denker scored a career-high 35 points and dished out 10 assists, engineering a dominant second-half surge to lift Northern Colorado to a 91-83 victory over Idaho in a Big Sky Conference men’s basketball game Thursday night at Butler-Hancock Athletic Center.

The Bears, who trailed by one at halftime, exploded for 55 points after the break, shooting 61% from the field to pull away from the Vandals. The win improved Northern Colorado to 12-10 overall, while Idaho fell to 12-9.

Denker, a 6-foot-3 guard from San Jose, California, was the catalyst, scoring 23 of his points in the second half. He finished 10 of 17 from the field and a perfect 12 for 12 from the free-throw line, adding two blocks and two steals. His performance overshadowed a stellar night from Idaho’s Jackson Rasmussen, who scored 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting.

The game’s pivotal stretch came early in the second half. After Idaho’s Jack Payne sank three free throws to tie the game at 42, Northern Colorado unleashed a 17-5 run over the next four and a half minutes. Denker was at the heart of it, assisting on a 3-pointer by Zach Bloch, feeding Brock Wisne for a layup, and then hitting a step-back 3-pointer himself to push the Bears’ lead to 59-47 with 15:42 remaining.

Idaho, which led 37-36 at intermission, could never fully recover. The Vandals closed the gap to six points on several occasions, the last at 78-72 after a pair of free throws by Biko Johnson with 4:58 to play. Each time, Northern Colorado had an answer, often from Denker or at the free-throw line, where the Bears attempted 33 shots to Idaho’s 28.

Northern Colorado’s interior dominance was a key factor, outscoring Idaho 44-22 in the paint. Wisne, a 6-foot-9 forward from Thornton, Colorado, contributed 16 points and seven rebounds. Ring Nyeri added nine points, three blocks and a game-high 10 rebounds, providing a defensive anchor.

Idaho relied heavily on its backcourt. Alongside Rasmussen, Kolton Mitchell scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers. The Vandals shot just 37.5% from the field overall and were hampered by 11 Northern Colorado blocks.

The Bears also won the efficiency battle, posting an offensive rating of 115.7 points per 100 possessions compared to Idaho’s 107.4, thanks to better shooting from the floor (52.6% to 37.5%) and from beyond the arc (47.1% to 34.4%).

For Idaho, Brody Rowbury and Seth Joba each added 10 points. The Vandals hurt themselves with only two assists on the night, a season low, against six turnovers.

Northern Colorado, which had lost four of its last five games entering the contest, reversed a recent trend of close losses. The Bears had been installed as a 2.5-point favorite pregame, and the combined score of 174 sailed well over the over/under line of 153.5.

Idaho next travels to face Northern Arizona on Saturday. Northern Colorado will host Eastern Washington on Saturday.