Cardinal men advance to NWAC title game
EVERETT, Wash. — RayQuan Evans is having quite the stay in the Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament.
Two huge games last weekend to get North Idaho College into the Final Four.
Another big one on Saturday to put his team into today’s championship game.
Evans scored 29 points for the Cardinals in a 79-73 win over the Portland Panthers in a semifinal game at Everett Community College, advancing to the program’s first NWAC Championship game.
NIC moved from the NJCAA to the regionally-based NWAC following the 2015-16 season.
Evans scored 47 points in the team’s double-overtime win over Everett in the quarterfinals last Sunday and scored 27 in the team’s opening round win over Lower Columbia.
NIC (24-8), the third-seed from the East Region, will face Peninsula (22-10), the second-seed from the North Region today at 2:30 p.m.
Portland finishes 26-6.
Charles Williams scored 15 points for NIC, which forced 17 Portland turnovers in the game. Aushanti Potts-Woods and Seth Christiaens had 11 points each for NIC.
KJ Bosco scored 17 points, and Cameron Retherford and Lane Josi scored 16 points each for Portland.
PORTLAND
KJ Bosco 5-12 2-4 17, Gabe Garrett 0-4 0-0 0, Brendan Ritschard 1-5 0-0 3, Lane Josi 7-11 1-2 16, Frank Norman 2-8 3-3 8, Terrell Hicks Jr. 1-5 2-2 5, Jacob Powell 2-4 0-0 5, Joe Morales 1-4 0-0 3, Michael Landi 0-0 0-0, Cameron Retherford 6-13 2-3 16. Totals 25-66 10-14 73.
NORTH IDAHO
RayQuan Evans 9-17 10-12 29, Jalen Burkett 3-8 2-4 8, Charles Williams 5-8 2-5 15, Jarod Greene 1-3 0-0 2, Tyler Brimhall 0-1 0-0 0, Aushanti Potts-Woods 4-11 3-4 11, Iaian McLaughlin 1-4 1-4 3, Jacob Cowley 0-0 0-0 0, Seth Christiaens 5-5 1-2 11, Keegan Crosby 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 20-31 79.
Halftime — NIC 29-26. 3-point goals — PCC 13-36 (Bosco 5-11, Garrett 0-2, Ritschard 1-4, Josi 1-2, Norman 1-3, Hicks Jr. 1-2, Powell 1-2, Morales 1-4, Retherford 2-6), NIC 3-11 (Evans 1-3, Williams 2-3, Potts-Woods 0-3, Crosby 0-2). Rebounds — PCC 38 (Josi 9), NIC 40 (Evans 7). Assists — PCC 19 (Nroman, Hicks Jr. 4), NIC 4 (Evans 2). Team fouls — PCC 22, NIC 19. Fouled out — none. Technical fouls — Burkett.
NORTHWEST ATHLETIC
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
At Everett Community College
Everett, Wash.
MEN
FINAL FOUR
Saturday, March 17
Peninsula 89, Linn-Benton 75
North Idaho 79, Portland 73
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 18
Peninsula (22-10) vs. North Idaho (24-8), 2:30 p.m.
WOMEN
FINAL FOUR
Saturday, March 17
Umpqua 103, Bellevue 70
Walla Walla 92, Big Bend 64
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 18
Umpqua (31-1) vs. Walla Walla (31-1), 5:15 p.m.