NIC ROUNDUP: Cardinal women find a way on the road

• WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

PRICE, Utah — Down to only seven players due to injury, North Idaho College needed everyone to step up in Saturday’s matchup against Utah State-Eastern, which leads the Scenic West Athletic Conference. 

Diana Nelson, a freshman from Timberlake High, made it her day. 

Nelson, a 6-foot forward, hit the back end of a two-shot foul with four seconds remaining, then had a game-saving block in the final seconds as the Cardinals beat the Eagles 56-55. 

“The more I got to know her before the season started, I knew she had good feet, and just works hard,” NIC coach Nathan Covill said. “For a kid that’s only been playing for four years, the coach at Timberlake did a great job of working with her. Shooting a 15-footer is something she didn’t do when she got here, but we told her she’d have to do it to stretch the defense. Hopefully now she’ll shoot it with some confidence.” 

NIC (9-13, 4-5 SWAC) travels to Southern Idaho next Saturday. 

Skylie Barker scored 16 points for Utah State-Eastern (16-7, 7-1). 

Summer Faleafa scored a game-high 18 points, hitting five 3-pointers in the first half as NIC jumped out to a 27-17 lead after the first quarter. 

“We needed to get a split on this trip, and this was the one we didn't think we could get,” said Covill, whose Cardinals lost at Snow on Thursday. “I’m really proud of the kids. It showed we can compete with anyone in the league and we beat a really good team on the road.” 

NORTH IDAHO 

Chloe Collin 3-16 1-2 7, Karsyn Freeman 5-16 2-2 13, Diana Nelson 2-4 3-6 7, Summer Faleafa 6-11 1-2 18, Sari Murphy 0-3 1-2 1, Molly Axell 2-4 0-0 4, Kaytie Aanstad 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 21-58 8-14 56. 

UTAH STATE-EASTERN 

Avery Sanders 2-4 0-0 4, Addasyn Scrivner 2-6 3-4 8, Umu Tukuafu 2-5 0-0 5, Marlee Pieper 3-19 0-0 6, Skylie Barker 6-11 4-4 16, Addison Tanner 2-3 1-2 5, Aubrey Mulitalo 0-1 0-0 0, Mia Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Anaiya Nelson 1-2 0-0 3, Logyn Howell 1-2 0-2 2, Alyssa Whittaker 1-4 4-4 6. Totals 20-57 12-16 55. 

North Idaho    27    12    7    10    —    56 

U.S.-Eastern    17    14    11    13    —    55 

3-point goals — NIC 6-16 (Collin 0-3, Freeman 1-4, Faleafa 5-6, Murphy 0-1, Axell 0-2), USUE 3-18 (Sanders 0-2, Scrivner 1-2, Tukuafu 1-2, Pieper 0-5, Barker 0-3, Tanner 0-1, Nelson 1-2, Whittaker 0-1). Rebounds — NIC 29 (Faleafa 7), USUE 40 (Pieper 12). Assists — NIC 7 (Freeman 4), USUE 12 (Barker 5). Team fouls — NIC 16, USUE 13. Fouled out — none. 

• MEN'S BASKETBALL

Utah State-Eastern 70 

North Idaho 63 

PRICE, Utah — Freshman Ace Arnold made a pair of free throws with 11:02 remaining to give the Cardinals a 52-44 lead, but the Eagles went on a 22-3 run late in the second half to capture the Scenic West Athletic Conference win. 

Ethen Stoddard, who finished with a game-high 16 points, gave Utah State-Eastern the lead on a basket with 7:11 remaining. NIC did not covert a field goal until a basket by Ne’quan Brown with 2:55 remaining cut the deficit to 66-57. 

NIC (13-11, 3-6 SWAC) trails Salt Lake (10-12, 3-5) by a half game for the fourth and final playoff spot in the conference. Salt Lake was idle on Saturday. 

Utah State-Eastern (17-6, 4-4) is third in the conference. 

Brown and freshman Austin Ouko scored 12 points each for NIC, which travels to College of Southern Idaho next Saturday. 

NORTH IDAHO 

Austin Ouko 3-12 4-5 12, Aly Toure 2-3 3-5 7, Nyale Robinson 2-4 0-0 5, Ne’quan Brown 2-10 8-13 12, Cody Wright 1-2 0-0 2, Ace Arnold 2-4 2-2 8, Ajayi Simmons 1-6 5-7 7, Cason Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Gage Ontiveros 2-2 0-0 4, Justus Haseley 1-2 2-3 4, Jacori Ervin 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 17-47 24-35 63. 

UTAH STATE-EASTERN 

Isaac Castagnetto 3-8 8-8 15, Ike Palmer 2-12 3-3 7, Ethen Stoddard 7-11 2-5 16, Liam Davis 3-5 2-3 9, Robbie Yates 2-5 0-0 4, Seven Bahati 2-5 3-4 7, Kayin Turner 1-2 0-1 2, Adam Grissom 2-5 0-0 5, Easton Duft 0-1 1-2 1, Bowen Davies 1-3 2-8 4. 

Halftime — NIC 32-30. 3-point goals — NIC 5-20 (Ouko 2-10, Robinson 1-1, N. Brown 0-3, Wright 0-1, Arnold 2-4, Simmons 0-1), USUE 3-15 (Castagnetto 1-2, Palmer 0-3, Davis 1-2, Yates 0-3, Bahati 0-1, Turner 0-1, Grissom 1-2, Duft 0-1). Rebounds — NIC 36 (N. Brown, Simmons 7), USUE 29 (Castagnetto 7). Assists — NIC 9 (N. Brown 4), USUE 12 (Palmer 3). Team fouls — NIC 24, USUE 27. Fouled out — Turner. 

• WRESTLING

Cardinals win one, lose one at Apodaca Duals 

POWELL, Wyo. — The Cardinals, ranked sixth in the latest NJCAA poll, beat Northeastern of Sterling, Colo., 31-21, then fell to third-ranked Western Wyoming of Rock Springs, Wyo., to conclude the Apodaca Showcase Duals tournament 1-2 on the campus of Northwest College. 

Freshman Colton Tucker, the former Coeur d’Alene High star, won by technical fall at 157 for NIC against Northeastern, along with freshman Curtis Bartley (141) and redshirt freshman Jackson Lougen (197). 

Against Western Wyoming, NIC did not win a match, and was deducted a point for unsportsmanlike conduct on the bench. 

NIC returns to action at the Region 18 Championships on Saturday, Feb. 14 at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Ore. 

NORTH IDAHO 31, NORTHEASTERN 21 

125 — Chad Teters, NE, by forfeit. 133 — Hoyt Hvass, NIC, p. Teagan Jacobs, 4:37. 141 — Curtis Bartley, NIC, tf. Jaydon Vigil, 17-0. 149 — Korbin Churchran, NIC, md. Ryan Gonzales, 12-2. 157 — Colton Tucker, NIC, tf. Ethan Sinclair, 19-1. 165 — Tom Stoll, NE, p. Gabe Lake, :33. 174 — Billy Brenton, NE, d. Dylan Block, 16-12. 184 — Beau Mares, NIC, p. Rene Perez, 2:21. 197 — Jackson Lougen, NIC, tf. Nathaniel Lowe, 21-4. 285 — Ryan Escamilla, NE, p. Forest Howell, 2:07. 

WESTERN WYOMING 39, NORTH IDAHO -1 

125 — Stockton Allen, WW, by forfeit. 133 — Zach Marrero, WW, d. Hoyt Hvass, by medical forfeit. 141 — Dmitiri Alarcon, WW, p. Parker Ballantyne, 1:55. 149 — Conway Christensen, WW, d. Joe Sullivan, 14-13. 157 — Hixon Canto, WW, d. Colton Tucker, 7-2. 165 — Banks Norby, WW, d. Colton Theobald, 11-7. 174 — Francisco Ayala, WW, d. Dylan Block, 8-1. 184 — Banks Love, WW, d. Seth Martin, 11-6. 197 — Trevyn Gates, WW, d. Jackson Lougen, 13-8. 285 — Kort Wilkinson, WW, d. Ray Griffin, 11-5. 

• SOFTBALL

Cardinals drop two  

at opening tourney 

HENDERSON, Nev. — The Cardinals dropped to 0-4 on the season with a pair of losses in the Coyote Kickoff Classic at Stephanie Lynn Craig Park on Saturday. 

NIC fell to Yavapai of Prescott, Ariz., 10-6 in its first game on Saturday, then lost 12-6 to Southern Nevada. 

Details from the opener were not available.

Against Southern Nevada, freshman Chloe Hearrell hit a two-run home run in the top of the second inning to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead. 

Southern Nevada scored seven runs in the bottom of the second and seven in the third to pull away. 

NIC returns to action against El Paso and Arizona Western next Friday in Yuma, Ariz.