The Snow College men's basketball team suffered a 101-64 defeat to the No. 2 College of Southern Idaho.
Snow College entered Thursday's matchup having dropped two out of three games at the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout in Mesa, Arizona last week. The Badgers defeated Mesa Community College 105-75 following an 80-60 loss to No. 14 South Plains College and a 71-64 defeat to Justice College. The back-to-back losses were the first time the Badgers have lost consecutive games all season.
Following the two losses, the Badgers dropped out of the NJCAA Men's Basketball Top 25 for the first time this season. CSI entered Thursday's matchup as the second-ranked team in the nation after dethroning fellow Scenic West Athletic Conference member Salt Lake Community College, who sat atop the rankings, in an 84-81 victory Dec. 17.
Snow College maintained contact with the Golden Eagles throughout the first ten minutes of action trailing 17-15 midway through the first half. CSI used a quick 10-0 run in just over three minutes to take a 12-point lead. The Golden Eagles would continue to add to their lead and would hold a 49-29 advantage heading into the halftime break.
The Badgers did not make a single 3-pointer in the first half going 0-8 during the first 20 minutes. They shout just 14 percent from distance throughout the game – their second-lowest shooting performance from beyond the arc all season. Snow College shot 13 percent against Justice College Dec. 28.
The Badgers would not be able to trim the lead below 20 points in the second half and would go on to lose 101-64. The Golden Eagles shot 69 percent from the field and 46 percent from beyond the arc while outscoring the Badgers 52-35 in the second half.
With the loss, the Badgers fall to 14-5 overall and 5-2 within the SWAC. They have lost three out of their last four games while shooting just 23 percent from 3-point range during that span. Snow College averaged 38 percent from distance before these last four games and was sixth in the country in 3-pointers made per game.
Four Badgers scored in double figures led by
Chase Potter who had 14 points and four rebounds.
Jamir Stephens finished with 13 points while
Zach Visentin and
Colin Christensen each put in 10 points for the Badgers.
The Badgers will now return home for the first time in nearly a month and play their lone home game in January as they take on the College of Southern Nevada Thursday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center.
The matchup with the Coyotes will be the third and final matchup between the two teams during the regular season. The Badgers defeated CSN twice earlier in the season to begin SWAC play first winning 86-79 Dec. 2 followed by an 87-78 victory Dec. 3. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.
