The Snow College women's basketball team defeated North Idaho College 78-70 Wednesday to begin Scenic West Athletic Conference play.  With the victory, the Badgers improve to 11-6 overall to begin the season.
 
Snow College entered the weekend following a trio of losses at the Lady Jets Holiday Classic in Americus, Georgia to close out the calendar year.  This was the first time all season the Badgers lost consecutive games.
 
The Badgers got out to a slow start in the first quarter scoring just eight points.  The Cardinals led by as many as eight during the opening period and took a six-point lead into the second quarter.
 
The Cardinals continued to extend the advantage throughout the first five minutes of the second quarter.  NIC led 23-10 before the Badgers went on a 14-5 extended run to crawl within one.  They would eventually go into the halftime break trailing 35-33.
 
The Badgers erased the deficit quickly to begin the second half.  It was a quick 6-0 burst from Snow College that gave it a four-point lead.  The Cardinals fought back, and the score bounced back and forth for the remainder of the third period. The game was tied at 53 headed into the final stanza.
 
Snow College opened up the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run to take a seven-point lead and would never look back.  The Badgers would lead by as many as nine points and ended up claiming the 78-70 victory. 
 
Three Badgers scored in double figures led by Madison Hosino who led all scorers with 21 points.  Emily Evans recorded her second double-double of the season scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 boards.  Enid Vaifanua added 13 points to aid in the victory. 
 
Snow College will now head to Twin Falls, Idaho, and take on the reigning Region 18 Tournament Champion College of Southern Idaho.  The Golden Eagles are currently ranked 17^th in the most recent NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Poll. 
 
The last time the two teams met was in the first round of the 2022-23 Region 18 Tournament in which the Golden Eagles earned a 57-45 victory to oust the Badgers.  The matchup will take place Saturday at 1:00 p.m. inside CSI Gymnasium.  For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.