WARRIORS CAP VEGAS TRIP WITH WIN OVER NORTH IDAHO
December 19, 2025
Las Vegas, NV – No. 12 Indian Hills Men’s Basketball capped its trip to the Tarkanian Classic with a 65-63 win over North Idaho College Friday night. The Warriors cap their weekend in Sin City with a 2-0 record and move to 14-2 overall on the year.
The Warriors held off a late surge from the Cardinals (8-3) to pick up their second win in as many nights. Indian Hills has now won eight of its last nine contests to close out the first half of the season heading into the holiday break.
The Warriors were led in scoring by sophomore Chaz Watson (Kansas City, MO/Cleveland State) who reached double-digits for the fourth consecutive game with a team-high 15 points. Watson knocked down five three-point shots in the win, including a pair of late three’s in the second half to lift the Warriors to victory.
Sophomore Taj Au-Duke (Toronto, Canada/Pepperdine) added 13 points and a game-high six assists while freshman Xavier Wilson (Kansas City, MO/Stanley) chipped in 10 points and a career-high six steals. Wilson finished the night 2-2 from three-point range, the freshman’s first two three-point shots made of the year.
All 10 Warriors that saw court time on the night reached the scoring column. Sophomore Chiang Ring (Minneapolis, MN/Murray State) contributed seven points and a game-high nine rebounds to go along with a pair of blocked shots.
The Cardinals held the lead for the first 8:20 of the contest until the Warriors strung together nine consecutive points, including a pair of three-point shots from Sawyer Mayhugh (Weston, MA/Queens) and Au-Duke to take a 20-14 lead. Indian Hills closed out the half scoring 13 of the final 20 points to take a 41-33 lead into the lockerroom.
The Warriors extended their lead to double-digits in the early goings of the second half, but the Cardinals clawed their way back to eventually tie the game at 54-all with just over five minutes to play. With just over a minute remaining and the two teams all square at 60, Watson knocked down a three-point shot to beat the shot clock. Clinging to a 65-63 lead with four seconds to play, Wilson forced the decisive turnover on an inbounds to seal the win for the Warriors.
As a team, the Warriors forced 23 turnovers on the night, the team’s second-most on the year. Indian Hills has now forced at least 15 turnovers in a game in eight of the team’s last nine contests.
The Warriors will now head into the holiday break before returning to action at the Hellyer Center on Tuesday, January 6 against Dakota County Technical College. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM.
