N. Colorado 78, Idaho St. 63

Updated: Feb 1, 2013, 12:04 am

GREELEY, Colo. -- Paul Garnica gave the Bears the lift they were looking for, scoring 21 points in 21 minutes off the bench including six 3-pointers for Northern Colorado in a 78-63 victory over Idaho State on Thursday night.

Northern Colorado (5-13, 3-7 Big Sky) hit 15 total 3-pointers against the Bengals, had 19 assists and shot 56.2 percent from the field, making 27 of 48 attempts.

Nick Mason hit a 3-pointer to close out the first half for Idaho State and cut Northern Colorado's lead to one, 29-28, but the Bears opened the second half with a 37-17 run to put the Bengals away.

Tate Unruh hit five 3-pointers for 15 points, Tim Huckisson had 15 and Tevin Svihovec chipped in with 10 points and six assists for the Bears.

Melvin Morgan led Idaho State (4-15, 3-7) with 18 points and Neveij Walters scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds.