North Idaho steamrolls Walla Walla in men’s NWAC tournament title game

EVERETT – RayQuan Evans and Alphonso Anderson scored 32 points apiece and North Idaho overpowered Walla Walla 104-73 in the championship game of the Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament on Sunday.

Evans made 11 of 17 shots from the field and all nine of his free throws for the Cardinals (31-2), who closed their season with a 22-game win streak. Evans added six assists, four rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Anderson sank 13 of 20 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, and tied for game-high honors with 10 rebounds. Anderson also had three assists, three steals and two blocked shots.

Damen Thacker topped the Warriors (22-11) with 17 points and added six rebounds and six assists. Jake Albright finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Thacker and David Howard hit 3-pointers as Walla Walla grabbed a 6-0 lead. Dillon Young’s 3-pointer gave the Warriors a 22-13 lead with 12:41 remaining in the first half. Evans scored 11 in a 13-3 run to give the Cardinals their first lead at 26-25 with 9:26 left before intermission. Thacker scored five straight to briefly regain the lead for the Warriors at 30-26 and the teams traded leads until Anderson took over.

NIC led 37-36 when Anderson accounted for 10 straight points, making two 3-pointers, a layup and a dunk, to up its lead to 47-36. Evans added two free throws for a 49-38 advantage at the intermission.

NIC outscored Walla Walla 55-35 in the second half.