NWAC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: Unbeaten NIC men stunned ... Bellevue bumps off Cardinals in tourney opener
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 3 years, 6 months AGO
Photo by DANIEL ACOSTA Kamryn Thomas (21) on North Idaho College and Prophet Johnson (4) of Bellevue battle for a rebound Saturday night in a Sweet 16 game of the Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Wash.
PASCO, Wash. — And just like that, it ended for the North Idaho College men’s basketball team.
An undefeated season.
A 33-game winning streak stretching back to late last season ... gone.
Back in the Northwest Athletic Conference Championship Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season ... over.
Bellevue, the fourth seed from the West Region, limited the Cardinals to 25-of-68 shooting, and held on to stun top-ranked NIC 63-60 in an opening round game late Saturday night at Columbia Basin College.
NIC was back in the conference tourney after being sanctioned by the NWAC for three years for improper benefits. As a result, NIC had to vacate its conference titles from the 2017-18 and 18-19 seasons.
Sophomore Vanti Erving gave NIC the lead at 61-60 with 37 seconds remaining. Bellevue regained the advantage on a layup by Sayerr Senghore with 32 seconds remaining. NIC missed on its next possession and fouled Owen Moriarty, who made two free throws to give the Bulldogs a 63-60 advantage with 12 seconds remaining. NIC missed a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Freshman Cobi Campbell had 16 points and six rebounds for NIC, which finished 28-1. NIC won its final five games of the regular season in 2021-22.
Sophomore Brendan Johnson had 10 points and two steals for NIC.
Moriarty scored 21 points for Bellevue (20-9), which faces Tacoma (12-14) in the Elite 8 today. Tacoma, the third seed from the West Region, stunned second-seeded Linn-Benton 76-69 on Saturday.
NIC’s last loss in the NWAC tourney was in the first round in 2017, the Cardinals’ first season in the league after leaving the NJCAA.
BELLEVUE
Prophet Johnson 4-11 0-2 10, Bishop Tosi 1-4 2-2 4, Aydan Janssan 3-7 0-0 8, Sayerr Senghore 7-13 0-1 15, Owen Moriarity 7-23 5-6 21, Daniel Thomas 2-4 0-0 5, Marcus Cole 0-2 0-0 0, Tristen Bates 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-64 7-11 63.
NORTH IDAHO
Julius Mims 4-9 0-0 8, Xavier Bailey 3-14 1-2 8, Cobi Campbell 6-13 3-5 16, Brendan Johnson 5-9 0-0 10, Taden King 0-6 0-0 0, Kamryn Thomas 4-9 1-3 9, Phil Holmes 1-4 0-0 2, Vanti Erving 1-1 0-0 2, Kyle Karstetter 2-4 0-0 5. Totals 25-68 5-10 58.
Halftime — NIC 35-30. 3-point goals — Bell 8-29 (Johnson 2-5, Tosi 0-1, Janssan 2-4, Senghore 1-3, Moriarty 2-14, Thomas 1-1, Cole 0-1), NIC 3-14 (Mims 0-2, Bailey 1-3, Campbell 1-3, Johnson 0-2, King 0-2, Karstetter 0-2). Rebounds — Bell 39 (Johnson, Senghore 10), NIC 41 (Thomas 11). Assists — Bell 9 (Johnson 4), NIC 8 (Johnson 4). Team fouls — Bell 13, NIC 11. Fouled out — none.