The Snow College women's basketball team defeated Salt Lake Community College in a tightly-contested matchup Thursday night in Ephraim. The Badgers dominant fourth quarter would ultimately push them past the Bruins to earn them a 66-59 victory. 
 
In the Badger's last game out they faced off against Utah State University Eastern at home where they lost 64-53. In that game Snow College struggled offensively and had a total of 16 turnovers. Following that loss, the Badgers would turn their attention to take on the Bruins for their final matchup of the season against SLCC.
 
Thus far in the season Snow College and SLCC have faced off twice, once in Ephraim and once in Taylorsville. In their first matchup against the Bruins Dec. 7, 2022, the Badgers suffered a 20-point defeat as they lost 86-66. 
 
In their second matchup in Taylorsville, Snow College would fight valiantly to earn a 68-60 victory. In that game the Badgers were led by Samiana Suguturaga who scored a career-high 27 points on 10-15 shooting from the field. 
 
The first quarter would prove to be a back-and-forth battle. Early on, SLCC would push its lead to as much as six points, but Snow College continued to fight. The Badgers shot 50 percent in the first quarter and finished the quarter on a 7-0 run to gain the lead. As the first quarter came to a close, Snow College led 16-15.
 
The two teams would continue to battle as the second quarter of play was underway. There were four lead changes as the game continued, and neither team could push ahead without the other catching back up. 
 
After trailing by four points, the Badgers would turn around to lead by as many as five points with 1:30 left in the half. With 18 seconds on the clock, SLCC's Karina Grayer hit a clutch 3-pointer to bring the Bruins within two points. The second half ended with the Badgers leading 32-30.
 
The second half would prove to be even more tightly contested than the first. In the third quarter alone there were five lead changes between the two teams. Suguturaga would keep the Badgers in the game as she scored seven points in the third quarter alone, racking up two steals as well. However the Bruins would finish the third quarter on a 4-0 run to tie the game at 47 points apiece.
 
As the final quarter of play began, the Badgers would shine defensively and force the Bruins to shoot just 25 percent from the field. In addition to clutch defense, Snow College excelled from 3-point range late in the game. The Badgers shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter and earned a total of nine points from deep.
 
Snow College would push the lead to as many as nine points with 2:30 remaining in the game.
Reagan Yamauchi went 3-4 from the free-throw line to seal the game for Snow College. The Badger's 19 points in the fourth quarter would push them past the Bruins to a 66-59 victory at home.
 
Snow College was led in scoring by Suguturaga who finished with 14 points going 6-13 from the field. Suguturaga also shined defensively as she added two blocks and four steals. She was aided by guard Marika Collins who finished with 12 points shooting a convincing 5-7 from the field. 
 
The Badgers will continue their home stretch as they now prepare to take on the No. 5-ranked College of Southern Idaho. Tip off is set for Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 5:00 p.m. in the Horne Activity Center. For video streaming and live stat information visit snowbadgers.com.