COEUR d'ALENE - Defense wasn't the problem. Scoring points was for the ninth-ranked North Idaho College Cardinals women's basketball team in Thursday night's Scenic West Athletic Conference game at Rolly Williams Court.

In the second half, Julia Salmio proved to be the solution.

Salmio scored all nine of her second-half points in a pivotal five-minute stretch in the second half, and SWAC-leading NIC went on to beat Salt Lake 49-40.

"Julia got a little rhythm going," NIC coach Chris Carlson said. "She was shooting the ball well. She was looking to score more. She's had some great games for us, and I think she's starting to piece a few nice games together right now."

The win by NIC (20-4, 9-2 SWAC), coupled with a 66-52 loss by second-place Snow (14-11, 7-4) at Southern Idaho (14-12, 6-5) on Thursday night, gives the Cardinals a two-game lead in the conference with four league games left. Snow visits NIC on Saturday.

With NIC leading 33-32 with 9 1/2 minutes left, Salmio, a 6-foot-1 sophomore forward from Finland, scored the Cardinals’ next nine points. She took a pass from Korina Baker and sank a short jumper from the left baseline, then scored on the drive.

After Salt Lake (14-10, 5-6) pulled within 37-36, Salmio answered with two free throws and a 3-point play to make it 42-36 with 4 minutes left. She finished with 14 points and five rebounds.

“The way we run our offense, she’s one of the first options,” Carlson said. “I think she scored a couple early, and I think that got her confidence going.”

In the final three minutes, Katie Buskey fed Ashley Woods for a 3-pointer, then scored on the drive to put the game out of reach.

NIC was in single digits throughout much of the first half. Salt Lake led by as much as 16-9 before the Cardinals closed within 16-13 at the half. NIC shot 21.7 percent (5 of 23) from the field in the first half, and finished 16 of 49 (32.7 percent) for the game.

Buskey finished with 10 points and Ashley Kelman-Poto had eight rebounds for NIC, now 3-0 vs. Salt Lake this season.

Guard Sofia Hepworth and point guard Diamond Marchand each scored 11 for Salt Lake, which made just 2 of 15 from 3-point range.

“I thought we had shots,” Salt Lake coach Betsy Speketer said. “We go 2 for 15 from 3 and I don’t think any of them were a bad look at a 3. We just have to make one. I really felt like that was the difference; we have to be able to make an outside shot.”

SALT LAKE

Katie Walker 1-3 1-1 3, Cheryl Harless 0-0 0-0 0, Sofia Hepworth 5-13 1-1 11, Chelsa Morgan 0-2 0-0 0, Hayli Shurtz 1-4 0-0 3, Diamond Marchand 5-13 0-0 11, Nicole Newbold 1-3 2-2 4, Haley Sturdevant 0-0 0-0 0, Fawn Brady 1-7 1-1 3, Asha McDonell 2-5 1-2 5. Totals 16-50 6-7 40.

NORTH IDAHO

Angela Woods 2-5 1-2 7, Katie Buskey 3-8 2-3 10, Tori Davenport 1-2 0-0 3, Korina Baker 1-9 2-2 5, Dani Kastrava 0-0 0-0 0, Aimee Durbidge 2-3 1-2 5, Julia Salmio 5-14 4-5 14, Mollie Kramer 0-1 0-0 0, Hannah Love 0-0 1-5 1, Danika Johnson 1-2 0-0 2, Ashley Kelman-Poto 1-5 1-1 3. Totals 16-49 12-20 49.

Halftime — SLCC 16-13. 3-point goals — SLCC 2-15 (Walker 0-2, Hepworth 0-3, Morgan 0-2, Shurtz 1-2, Marchand 1-4, Brady 0-2), NIC 5-13 (Woods 2-4, Buskey 2-3, Davenport 1-1, Baker 0-2, Durbidge 0-1, Kramer 0-1, Johnson 0-1). Rebounds — SLCC 33 (McDonell 7), NIC 41 (Kelman-Poto 8). Fouled out — Johnson. Total fouls — SLCC 19, NIC 12.