OPENING TIP
 

• No. 16/18 Snow College will begin Scenic West Athletic Conference play as it takes on the College of Southern Nevada inside the Coyote Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

• The Badgers will take on the Coyotes Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:00 p.m. followed by a game Saturday, Dec. 3 with tipoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. PST.

 

• Snow College suffered its first loss of the season in a 70-66 defeat to Arizona Western College Friday in the first game of the Chapman Auto Thanksgiving Basketball Classic in Yuma, Arizona.  The Badgers rebounded quickly and earned a 77-59 victory over Yavapai College the following night.

 

• Following the loss, the Badgers dropped from 11^th in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings to 16^th.  They also dropped from eighth to 18^th in the JUCO Advocate Media Poll.

 

• Snow College scored 28 points in the first half of the game against AWC, which is the fewest points the Badgers have scored in any half this season.  As a team, Snow College averages 42.4 points per game in the first half this season.­

 

• Freshman shooting guard Dylan Jones scored a career-high 28 points in the Badger's victory over Yavapai.  Jones shot 9-15 from the field including 8-14 from 3-point range.  Jones has scored in double figures in seven of the nine games the Badgers have played this season and is currently leading the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game (minimum seven games played). 

 
BY THE NUMBERS
 

• Snow College is averaging 11.7 3-pointers made per game this season, which is good for fourth in the country.  They are tied with Salt Lake Community College and trail Western Oklahoma State, which averages 15.1 made 3-pointers per game, for first place.

 

• Snow College has been crashing the offensive glass this season.  The Badgers are currently fifth in the country in offensive rebounds as they are averaging 17.8 offensive rebounds per game.  They sit just outside the top ten with 48.1 total rebounds per game.

 

• The Badgers have been one of the best defensive teams this season.  They are 12^th in the nation in points per game allowed at just 60 points per game.  They are also fifth in defensive efficiency allowing just .79 points per possession.

 

• Snow College is averaging 92.2 points per game offensively which is good for 21^st in the nation.

 

• The Badgers have four players averaging better than 40 percent shooting from 3-point range this season led by Derek Smith who has connected on half of his attempts from distance this season.  Jones is shooting 45 percent while Hayden Franson is shooting 42 percent and Gaige Savage is shooting 41 percent.  (Minimum of six games played and at least one 3-pointer made per game) 

 

• As a team, the Badgers scored just eight bench points in their loss to AWC.  This is the smallest total the team has had all season.  On average, the Badgers average just over 45 points per game off the bench through the nine games played this season.

 
ABOUT SOUTHERN NEVADA
 

• The Coyotes have started the season with a 5-6 overall record.  They also participated in the Chapman Auto Thanksgiving Basketball Classic over the weekend.  They defeated Yavapai 80-74 Friday and earned a 73-69 victory over AWC Saturday.

 

• CSN as a team is allowing more points than it scores offensively.  The Coyotes currently average 76.9 points per game but are allowing 79.7 points per game defensively.  

 

• The Coyotes average 43 percent shooting from the field, which is only good for 144^th in the country.  They are also shooting just 27 percent from 3-point range, which is 172^nd in the nation.

 

• CSN does a good job at getting to the free-throw line.  They are fourth in the country in free throw attempts per game at 29.6.  They are also fifth in free throws made per game at 20.2.

 

• The Coyotes finished the 2021-22 season with a 13-18 overall record and a 7-11 mark inside the SWAC.  They were 7-8 in games played at home last season.

 

• Snow College is a perfect 6-0 overall against the Coyotes since 2020.  The Badgers average just under 92 points per game against the Coyotes including a 102-83 victory March 16, 2021.  The Badger's average margin of victory is just over 14 points per game.

 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Snow College men's basketball team wrapped up its non-conference schedule after splitting a pair of games at the Chapman Automotive Thanksgiving Classic in Yuma, Arizona over the weekend.  The Badgers suffered a 70-66 loss to Arizona Western College followed by a 77-59 victory over Yavapai College to move to 8-1 overall this season.
 
Snow College kicked off the weekend with a matchup against AWC.  Both teams entered the game with undefeated 7-0 records.  The Badgers were vaulted up to 11^th in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings in the latest poll after earning a pair of victories against Central Wyoming College and Wenatchee Valley Community College last week.
 
Things started a little bumpy for the Badgers as AWC jumped out to a 23-12 lead through the first 10 minutes of action.  The Matadors led by as many as 13 in the first half before the Badgers used an 11-2 run to finish the half and enter halftime trailing 32-28.
 
The Badgers would erase the lead over the first few minutes of the second half and would eventually take a 60-57 lead with three minutes to play.  The Matadors would not go away and quickly rattled off six straight points to take a three-point lead.  Snow College went on a mini 5-0 run of its own to regain the lead, but AWC scored seven of the final eight points over the final minute to earn the 70-66 victory.
 
Clayton Southwick led the charge offensively for the Badgers, scoring 21 points on 7-10 shooting, including 6-8 from 3-point range. He added six rebounds and three assists. Chase Potter put in 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
 
The Badgers turned around to take on Yavapai to cap off the weekend.  Yavapai was playing in their first season as a program in over a decade.  The Roughriders last competed in men's basketball during the 2010-11 season.  They entered Saturday's matchup with a 3-3 overall record.
 
Snow College used a 12-0 run to take a 19-9 lead through the first 10 minutes of the first half.  The Badgers would eventually extend the lead to as many as 14 before taking a 36-25 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Roughriders came out firing in the second half and cut the Badger's lead to four over the first few minutes.  Snow College quickly turned things around and went on a 10-3 run to regain a double-digit lead.
 
The Badgers would eventually stretch the lead out to as many as 23 points before claiming a 77-59 victory.  
 
As a team, the Badgers shot 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep on 12-30 shooting from distance.  This marks the sixth time this season the Badgers have made at least 10 3-pointers in a game.  They made a season-high 17 triples in their 101-48 victory over Jump Start Academy Nov. 11.
 
Three Badgers scored in double figures led by a career-high 28-point outburst by Dylan Jones. Jones has scored in double figures in seven games this season.  Potter added 16 points, six rebounds, and two assists while Zach Visentin put in a season and career-high 16 points in the win.
 
KEYS TO THE GAME
 

• Execute offensively:  Playing against a team that allows more points than it scores, it will be important for the Badgers to keep the pedal down offensively.  If the Badgers are able to score efficiently, it will be difficult for CSN to keep up offensively as the Coyotes haven't shown the ability to score effectively so far this season.

 

• Play defense without fouling:  The Coyotes struggle to score, but 20 of the 76 points they average per game come from the free-throw line.  If the Badgers are able to force them to score in the halfcourt and limit the number of trips to the free-throw line CSN gets, they will have a good chance at sweeping the two-game series.

 
UP NEXT
 

• Snow College will return home for the first time in nearly a month as they take on No. 2 Salt Lake Community College Saturday, Dec. 7.  

 

• The Bruins are a perfect 6-0 overall so far this season.  They will not begin SWAC play this weekend and instead with host the Bruin classic during which they will play Northwest College and Central Wyoming College.  

 

• Saturday's game against Snow College will be SLCC's first SWAC game of the season.

 

• Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center.  For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.