UNC Bears men's basketball wins 6th straight Big Sky Conference game

Bears sweep weekend homestand with 77-65 victory over Portland State

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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The UNC Bears men's basketball team won its sixth straight game in the Big Sky Conference on Saturday afternoon, defeating conference-leading Portland State 77-65 at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley. The Bears, now 7-7 in the Big Sky and 17-10 overall, grabbed the lead in the first half and held on despite foul trouble and a strong performance from Portland State's Jaylin Henderson and Terri Miller Jr.

Why it matters

The win allowed the Bears to sweep their weekend homestand and keeps them in the hunt for a top spot in the Big Sky Conference standings with four games left in the regular season. UNC has been trending in the right direction after losing close games earlier in the season.

The details

UNC came up with an early run in the second half to create some distance on the scoreboard, managing their own foul trouble as well as the hot shooting of Portland State's Jaylin Henderson and the size of the Vikings' big men Terri Miller Jr. and Tre-Vaughn Minott. Five UNC players scored in double figures, led by a strong all-around performance from guard Quinn Denker.

  • The game was played on Saturday, February 14, 2026.
  • UNC and Portland State previously met in a close game last month.

The players

Steve Smiley

The head coach of the UNC Bears men's basketball team.

Brock Wisne

A forward for the UNC Bears men's basketball team.

Jaylin Henderson

A guard for the Portland State Vikings men's basketball team who scored a game-high 29 points.

Terri Miller Jr.

A 6-foot-8, 250-pound forward for the Portland State Vikings men's basketball team who scored 18 points before fouling out.

Quinn Denker

A guard for the UNC Bears men's basketball team who finished the weekend with 45 points and 23 assists.

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What they’re saying

“We're trending in the right direction, playing well. Going back to when we were not playing well, we were losing close games. Our guys have stayed the course day after day.”

— Steve Smiley, UNC Bears men's basketball coach

“Process over the result. I think that it's just so much better when we just focus on us, and just focus on each play and each moment.”

— Brock Wisne, UNC Bears men's basketball forward

“Honestly, I have really good teammates. We really understand spacing. We really understand how to play off of actions. I'm just throwing the ball to my teammates and they make shots.”

— Quinn Denker, UNC Bears men's basketball guard

What’s next

The Bears have a week off from games before their final four regular season contests.

The takeaway

The UNC Bears have shown resilience and a team-first mentality to bounce back from early-season struggles and position themselves for a strong finish in the Big Sky Conference race.