The Snow College men's basketball team suffered a pair of losses over the weekend to No. 1 College of Southern Idaho and Utah State University Eastern.  The Badgers lost 83-78 to CSI Thursday and 75-66 to USUE Saturday in Ephraim.
 
The Badgers entered Thursday's game having defeated Colorado Northwestern Community College 87-63 Jan. 28 in Rangely, Colorado.  Snow College had its hands full as it welcomed the number-one team in the nation to the Horne Activity Center for the first time this season.  The Badgers gave the Golden Eagles all they could handle in the five-point loss.
 
Snow College was defeated by CSI 101-64 back on Jan. 5 in Twin Falls, Idaho.  The Badgers led Thursday's game at the half, and it took an unworldly shooting performance from the Golden Eagles in the second half to come out on top.
 
The game was even at 15 midway through the first half as Jamir Stephens had seven quick points for the Badgers.  CSI quickly went on a 6-0 run to gain its largest lead of the first half.  Snow College countered with an 11-0 run to regain the lead.  The Badgers led by as many as seven before taking a 33-29 lead into halftime.
 
The Golden Eagles erased the deficit by the 14-minute mark of the second half evening things at 45 apiece.  The score was once again level at 55 when CSI went on a 13-0 run to take a 68-55 lead with five minutes to play. The Golden Eagles did not miss a single shot from the field over a seven-minute stretch late in the second half. 
 
CSI extended its lead to as many as 14 and had an 11-point lead with just under 90 seconds to go. Snow College would be able to cut the lead to five but ran out of time, and the comeback attempt fell short as the Badgers lost 83-78.
 
After shooting 37 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range in the first half, CSI shot an unfathomable 75 percent from the field and 70 percent from 3-point range in the second half. Meanwhile, Snow College improved its shooting from 40 percent to 52 percent from the field and 36 percent to 55 percent from distance in the second half, but it wasn't enough to stave off CSI's hot shooting.
 
Stephens recorded a career-high in scoring as he finished with 22 points, three rebounds, and three assists.  Zach Visentin narrowly missed out on recording a double-double as he finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.  Chase Potter was the other Badger in double figures finishing with 13 points and six rebounds.
 
Following the loss, the Badgers welcomed in USUE to the Horne Activity Center for the first and only time this season.  Saturday's game was critical as it would serve as the tiebreaker in the Scenic West Athletic Conference Standings as both teams had won one game each in the three-game season series.
 
Snow College won the first game of the series 66-64 Dec. 14.  The Badgers were then defeated 76-55 the last time the two teams met Jan. 26.  Snow College would come up short in the rubber game of the series 75-66 Saturday in Ephraim.
 
The Eagles led wire-to-wire to earn the victory. They outscored the Badgers 36-24 in the first half behind 41 percent shooting from the field.  Snow College struggled shooting the ball throughout the game shooting just 38 percent from the field and 24 percent from 3-point range.  The Badgers also shot just 1-12 from beyond the arc in the first half.
 
Visentin recorded his third double-double of the season as he finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Colin Christensen also poured in 13 points and dished out five assists while Gaige Savage totaled 11 points and six rebounds in the loss.
 
Snow College will continue its longest home stand of the season against No. 5 Salt Lake Community College Thursday in Ephraim.  The Badgers are looking for their first victory of the season against the Bruins as they are winless in the first two meetings this year.  Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center.  For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.