Snow College upsets NIC men’s basketball team in region tournament

_{The second-seeded North Idaho College men’s basketball team lost to Snow College 77-72 Friday afternoon at Rolly Williams Court in the Region 18 Tournament.}

_{Jalil Abdul-Bassit hit a jumper to extend NIC’s lead to 13-6 in the first half. Abdul-Bassit finished with 16 points.}

_{NIC trailed Snow 36-32 at the half.}

_{The Cardinals trailed the Badgers 53-36 with 13 minutes to play in the second half.}

_{“We got to give Snow a lot of credit,” NIC head coach Jared Phay said. “They hit big shots and played really well.”}

_{Michael Middlebrooks had 10 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots for the Cardinals.}

_{The Cardinals cut the deficit to five points with 5:26 left in the game.}

_{NIC had a nine-point run to catch up to Snow in the second half.}

_{Mikey Hope hit a 3-pointer to close the gap to a two-point game. Hope led the Cardinals with 19 points.}

_{“We knew it was going to be a tough game and a battle,” Phay said. “It got right down to the end.”}

_{Chris Sarbaugh finished with nine points, five assists and three steals. He tied the game at 68 after he was fouled with 2:59 to play.}

_{“I thought we played really well,” Phay said. “We just weren’t matching their scores.”}

_{The Cardinals are 26-5 and can still receive an at-large berth to the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., March 18-23.}