NIC ROUNDUP: Ouko's 3 helps Cardinals fight off Trap game

• MEN'S BASKETBALL

COEUR d’ALENE — In the first half, the shots just weren’t falling for North Idaho College — for either team, for that matter — on Saturday. 

It was a good thing the one that freshman Austin Ouko took in the second half, did. 

Ouko, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward from Switzerland, hit a 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining as the Cardinals held off the Northwest Trappers of Powell, Wyo., 64-60 in a nonconference game at Rolly Williams Court. 

NIC led 19-18 at halftime after falling behind 7-0 to start the game. 

“We just couldn’t make shots in the first half,” NIC coach Corey Symons said. “We played really well defensively, but just had a tough time putting the ball in the basket.” 

Ouko hit a free throw with 8:43 remaining to give NIC a 43-31 lead. 

“We did a good job of sitting down on defense and making plays when we needed to,” Symons said. “Austin’s 3-pointer was huge, and great for him because he didn’t shoot it that well this weekend. But for him to step up and hit that shot when he needed to was great to see.” 

Mateo Trujillo scored 17 points for Northwest (3-3), which led by seven points early in the second half, only to see NIC build a 12-point lead with 8:25 left. 

NIC competes in Gila Monster Shootout at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, Ariz., opening Thursday vs. Central Arizona.

NORTHWEST COLLEGE 

Mateo Trujillo 5-12 4-4 17, Nayel Girard 4-10 2-2 12, Trey Rinn 3-8 0-0 8, Eli Patterson 4-4 0-0 8, Braydon Bradshaw 0-4 0-0 0, Tate Monroe 3-7 0-0 9, Monybuony Kor 0-0 0-0 0, Gunner Erickson 0-0 0-0 0, Isaac Wolfe 0-1 0-0 0, Logan Woolstenhulme 1-5 0-0 2, Travis Theran Archibald 1-6 0-0 3, R’Zha Zha’Quire Whittle 0-5 1-2 1. Totals 21-62 7-8 60. 

NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE 

Ne’quan Brown 3-12 9-14 15, Nyale Robinson 1-4 0-0 2, Ajayi Simmons 4-9 1-2 12, Austin Ouko 1-6 3-4 6, Aly Toure 2-3 2-2 6, Ace Arnold 1-4 0-0 3, Cason Miller 1-2 0-0 3, Sawyr Hansen 3-4 0-0 6, Gage Ontiveros 1-2 0-0 2, Justus Haseley 2-5 5-6 9, Jacori Ervin 0-1 0-1 0. Totals 19-52 20-28 64. 

Halftime — NIC 19-18. 3-point goals — NWC 11-30 (Trujillo 3-7, Girard 2-4, Rinn 2-6, Bradshaw 0-1, Monroe 3-5, Wolfe 0-1, Archilbald 1-5, Whittle 0-1), NIC 6-24 (N. Brown 0-3, Robinson 0-2, Simmons 3-7, Ouko 1-4, Arnold 1-4, Miller 1-2, Haseley 0-1, Ervin 0-1). Rebounds — NWC 25 (Girard 5), NIC 39 (Toure 13). Assists — NWC 12 (Girard 3), NIC 10 (N. Brown 4). Team fouls — NWC 20, NIC 11. Fouled out — Patterson. 

• WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

North Idaho 70 

Spokane 48 

COEUR d’ALENE — Slowed by a thumb injury early on, sophomore Chloe Collin missed most of October getting healthy. 

On Saturday, the Brampton, Ontario, native didn’t miss much, shooting 5 of 6 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free-throw line, finishing with a team-high 19 points for the Cardinals in a nonconference win over the Spokane Colleges (formerly Community Colleges of Spokane) Sasquatch at Rolly Williams Court. 

“We’d thought she’d broken her thumb and just streched some ligaments,” NIC coach Nathan Covill said of Collin, who also had four rebounds and three steals. “She really came in and played well. Everyone did some good things today.” 

Sophomore Summer Faleafa added 13 points, six blocks and five rebounds for NIC (2-4), which hosts Big Bend of Moses Lake on Dec. 3. 

Camia Howard scored 21 points for Spokane (0-2), which shot 16 of 57. 

“We played really well defensively,” Covill said. “It was a great weekend for us and good to get some momentum going forward.” 

SPOKANE COLLEGES 

Ayeris Jones 1-8 1-1 4, Macy Cummings 0-3 0-0 0, Journee Brooks 2-7 0-0 5, Camia Howard 7-16 7-11 21, Alahondra Perez 3-9 0-0 7, Shalene Ervin 0-0 0-0 0, Jaida White 1-6 2-5 4, Kyla Conley 0-1 0-0 0, Stephanie Chadduck 0-2 2-6 2, Yatzary Encarnacion 1-3 0-0 2, Zeryah Stokes 0-0 0-0 0, Karis Stantucci 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 16-57 13-25 48. 

NORTH IDAHO COLLEGE 

Chloe Collin 5-6 9-9 19, Karsyn Freeman 5-12 3-4 13, Ripeka Edwards 4-7 1-2 12, Summer Faleafa 5-7 1-2 13, Kaytie Aanstad 0-5 0-0 0, Diana Nelson 0-1 2-4 2, Molly Axell 1-4 0-0 2, Liv Whitemarsh 0-3 2-2 2, Sari Murphy 2-6 3-3 7, Myckenzee Mitley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-51 21-26 70. 

Spokane    12    13    11    12    —    48 

North Idaho    21    16    15    18    —    70 

3-point goals — SC 3-20 (Jones 1-6, Brooks 1-5, Perez 1-5, White 0-3, Conley 0-1), NIC 5-15 (Collin 0-1, Freeman 0-2, Edwards 3-3, Faleafa 2-2, Axell 0-3, Whitemarsh 0-2, Murphy 0-2). Rebounds — SC 25 (Howard 8), NIC 43 (Freeman 11). Assists — SC 7 (Jones, Brooks 2), NIC 14 (Faleafa 4). Team fouls — SC 21, NIC 18. Fouled out — none. Technical fouls — NIC team. 

• WRESTLING

Tucker runner-up for

NIC at Grand View Open

DES MOINES, Iowa — Colton Tucker, a freshman from Coeur d’Alene High, advanced to the championship match at 157 pounds at the Grand View Open, falling to Pratt (Kan.) freshman Jacob Goodwin to finish second at the Ignit Sports Complex. 

NIC freshman Korbin Churchran from Saratoga Springs, Utah, was third at 149.

Seth Martin, a freshman from Post Falls High, finished fourth at 184 and redshirt freshman Colton Theobald from Payson, Utah, was fifth at 157 for NIC. 

The Cardinals, ranked 11th in the NCAA preseason poll, host fifth-ranked Clackamas of Oregon City, Ore., on Friday at 7 p.m. 

    KYLE DISHAW PHOTOGRAPHY North Idaho College sophomore forward Summer Faleafa goes up for a layup during Saturday's game against Spokane Colleges at Rolly Williams Court.