Cardinal women roll in opener

MILES CITY, Mont. - Sophomore post Tugce Canitez had 14 points to lead four players in double figures as the third-ranked North Idaho Cardinals defeated the Miles Community College Pioneers 74-54 in their nonconference season opener on Thursday.

"I thought our defense was really strong," NIC coach Chris Carlson said. "They really struggled to get anything going."

Kama Griffitts had 13 points, Camille Reynolds 12 and Deanna Dotts 10 points for NIC (1-0), which forced 17 steals.

"We had some really good ball pressure tonight," Carlson said. "We may have gotten too aggressive and fouled a bit too much, but it was some first-game jitters. There was a lot of energy out there, we just need to channel it a little bit."

NIC faces Lake Region today in the Coca-Cola Teton Tip-Off tournament in Williston, N.D.

A complete box score was unavailable.

North Idaho 69

Miles CC 62

MILES CITY, Mont. - Sophomore guard Michael Hale had a team-high 24 points, six rebounds and four assists as the third-ranked Cardinals defeated the Pioneers in nonconference play.

"We came out setting some screens for Michael and he got a lot of looks for us tonight," NIC coach Jared Phay said. "We had a good, steady lead throughout the game. We hit some shots, but could never pull away from them."

Abebe Dimissie had nine points and three rebounds for NIC, which faces Lake Region today in the Coca-Cola Teton Tip-Off in Williston, N.D.

A complete box score was unavailable.