OPENING TIP: The Snow College women's basketball team will kick off its 2023-24 season at the Snow College Classic this weekend in Ephraim.  The Badgers will take on a pair of opponents beginning with No. 14 Casper College Friday at 5:00 p.m. and Western Wyoming Community College Saturday at 1:00 p.m.  Both games will be played inside the Horne Activity Center.
 
The Badgers are coming off a season that saw them go 12-16 overall and 9-9 within the Scenic West Athletic Conference.  They were defeated in the first round of the Region 18 Tournament by the top-seeded and No. 4 College of Southern Idaho.
 
Snow College sported a better road record last season going 5-4 away from the Horne Activity Center.  The Badgers were just below .500 at home a year ago going 5-6.
 
LOADED SCHEDULE: The Badgers will play a full schedule during the 2023-24 campaign consisting of 30 total games – 20 road games and 10 home games. 
 
The Badgers will play eight games against teams ranked within the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Preseason Poll beginning with No. 14 Casper College Friday.  Following the Snow Classic, the Badgers will participate in five straight tournaments on the road before returning home for their final non-conference home game of the season against Yavapai College.
 
Their final non-conference action will be at the Lady Jets Holiday Classic in Americus Georgia where the Badgers will take on a trio of opponents to close out the calendar.  They will begin SWAC play against new conference member North Idaho College Jan. 10 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
 
The Badgers' longest home stretch of the season will be between Jan. 18 and Feb. 1 where they will play five consecutive home matches.  They will finish the year with a three-game road trip culminating the season against Salt Lake Community College Feb. 29.
 
HISTORY WITH CASPER COLLEGE: The Badgers are 2-10 all-time against Casper College.  They have lost back-to-back matches against the Thunderbirds.  Their last victory came in a 69-68 win in Casper, Wyoming Nov. 19, 2021.
 
Casper College finished last season with a 30-4 overall record and a perfect 10-0 mark within conference play.  They won the Region 9 Championship in a 62-60 victory over Western Wyoming Community College before bowing out in the first round of the NJCAA National Tournament against Walters State Community College.
 
HISTORY WITH WESTERN WYOMING: The Badgers own an 11-2 overall record against the Mustangs and have won eight consecutive games dating back to Nov. 4, 2017.  Snow College collected a 68-67 overtime victory against the Mustangs a season ago in Casper, Wyoming Nov. 26.
 
The Mustangs were 18-14 overall and 5-5 within conference play a season ago.  As mentioned, they were defeated by Casper in the Region 9 Championship to culminate last season.  
 
BY THE NUMBERS: As a team during the 2022-23 season, the Badgers averaged 63.1 points per game offensively.  Defensively, they surrendered 62.2 points per game. They shot 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc. 
 
The Badgers scored 65 points or more in 12 games last season and were 11-1 in those contests.  Additionally, Snow College shot 40 percent or better from the field in 13 games and won eight of those games.
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: The 2023-24 team will consist of five sophomores, four returners, and nine freshmen.  Enid Vaifanua, Emmie Barnes, Emily Evans and Ainsley Thurber are the four returning sophomores and will be joined by Signe Bang, who played her freshman year at Roane State Community College where she averaged 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game on 41 percent shooting.
 
Of those returning, Vaifanua led the group in scoring as she averaged 10.3 points per game on 39 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range.  Evans contributed 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.  Thurber averaged 3.6 points per game while Barnes added 3.3 on the season.
 
Brooke Pennington, Madison Hosino, Tevai Fisiipeau, Lili Suguturaga, and Iyana Beh represent the freshmen who hail from the state of Utah.  Suguturaga is the younger sibling of former women's basketball standout Samiana Suguturaga, who played with the Badgers from 2020-2022.  
 
Maliyah Elliott, Dalana Jakovljevic, Seini Tuipulotu, and Kiriana Hawaikirangi come to Snow College from outside the state of Utah.  
 
UP NEXT:  Snow College will head to Rock Springs, Wyoming and participate in the Western Wyoming Classic where they will take on a pair of opponents beginning with Laramie County Community College Friday, Nov. 10 at 5:00 p.m.
 
They will then turn around and take on WWCC Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.