Cold shooting from deep in the second half and defensive challenges cost the University of Northern Colorado men's basketball team its road game against San Jose State on Tuesday night.

UNC (3-4) fell to SJSU (2-3), 75-74, for its third straight loss after a missed 3-pointer. The Bears started the season 3-1, including a win over Hawaii, another Mountain West team.

Prior to the final shot, UNC was up by one after senior guard Daylen Kountz hit two free throws before the Spartans recorded a dunk to retake the lead. Kountz tried to secure the win as time expired but couldn't get the bucket.

"On the one hand, you put yourself in a position to win, but one of the hardest things to do is learn how to close the deal. With that being said, we've got to figure that out," UNC coach Steve Smiley said in a postgame radio interview. "I thought our guys worked really hard. Daylen hit those free throws, and, at the end of the game, their player made a great play and give him credit. But, it's a disappointing result. I would be lying if i said otherwise."

Four Bears scored in double figures, including Kountz with a team-high 22 points. It was his fifth game with more than 20.

Senior center Kur Jongkuch finished with a 14-point and 14-rebound double-double in the loss.

Unfortunately, the team struggled from 3-point range while the Spartans found success.

UNC finished 6-of-24 from deep — only 1-of-7 in the second half — while San Jose State went 9-of-17 from downtown. The Spartans finished with a clip of nearly 53%.

Northern Colorado led by as many as 10 points and went into the break with a four-point lead. Even with the strong shooting from the field at 44.6%, the Bears couldn't stop the Spartans after a 10-3 run.

San Jose State and UNC traded buckets for the remainder of the game, with Northern Colorado unable to go on a run and unable to defend the Spartans' efficient shooting.

"I do believe we're playing the right way, and we're not seeing the results of our labor," Smiley said. "But, every day, every game, we're getting a little bit closer to figuring out who we really are; what we should be doing. There's a lot of positives but it's a pretty disappointed locker room right now."

UNC will return to Colorado this weekend to take on undefeated in-state opponent Colorado State. The Bears will play at noon Saturday in Fort Collins.

Northern Colorado returns home at 6 p.m. Dec. 2 to face Montana State in a Big Sky contest.