North Idaho men open Region 18 tourney with victory

TWIN FALLS, Idaho – Idris Lasisi scored 25 points, hitting 9 of 12 from the field, and North Idaho opened the Region 18 men’s basketball tournament Thursday with a 77-65 win over Snow College.

The fifth-seeded Cardinals (23-8) built a 29-point lead with 8 minutes, 38 seconds left.

Tyrone White Jr. added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinals, who will play top-seeded Southern Idaho (26-4) at 6:30 tonight for a berth in Saturday’s title game.

Abebe Dimissie and Ameer Shamsud-din added 10 points apiece for the Cardinals. Michael Hale III had five assists.

NIC shot 17 of 21 from the free-throw line.

Brandon Vega scored 21 points for the fourth-seeded Badgers (18-13), who shot 28 of 36 from the line.