GARDEN CITY, Colo. (Interstat) — A pair of Big Sky Conference teams looking to rebound from narrow weekend losses will meet Thursday when the Idaho Vandals visit the Northern Colorado Bears at Butler-Hancock Athletic Center.

Idaho (12-8, 4-3 Big Sky) fell 69-66 to Portland State at home Saturday, snapping a two-game win streak. The Vandals have been strong offensively in conference play, averaging 78.1 points per game. They are led by guard Isaiah Brickner, who is coming off a 22-point, six-rebound performance against Portland State. Over his last five games, Brickner is averaging 16.2 points.

Northern Colorado (11-10, 2-6) has lost five straight, but four of those defeats have been by six points or fewer, including an 81-77 loss at Northern Arizona on Saturday. The Bears have struggled to close games but boast a potent scorer in guard Brock Wisne. He has averaged 17.0 points over his last six contests and scored 18 points with five assists in the loss to the Lumberjacks.

The Bears won the season’s first meeting in Moscow, Idaho, 85-72 on Jan. 8. In that game, Northern Colorado shot 52.5% from the field and held Idaho to 39.7% shooting. Wisne led all scorers with 24 points, while Brickner was held to 14 for Idaho.

The Vandals, who are 3-5 on the road this season, will need to contain Wisne and improve their perimeter defense to split the season series. Northern Colorado seeks to leverage its home court, where it is 8-3 overall, to halt its skid and climb back into the conference standings.

Thursday’s matchup is the first of two between the teams in February, with the rematch scheduled for Feb. 28 in Moscow.