The Snow College women's basketball team began their 2024-25 season with a pair of victories at the Snow Classic last weekend. The Badgers defeated the Utah All Stars 88-30 before earning a 70-68 victory against Casper College.
The Badgers started off Friday's season-opener against the All Stars scoring 13 of the game's first 15 points to take an early lead. By the end of the first quarter, Snow College held a 25-7 edge.
The momentum continued into the second quarter as the Badgers used an 11-0 run to increase the lead to 29. The defense only allowed three second-quarter points as they entered the halftime break leading 56-10.
Snow College would eventually increase their lead to as many as 60 before securing the 88-30 victory. The Badgers shot nearly 57 percent from the field and 42 percent from beyond the arc in the victory.
Five Badgers scored in double figures led by
Hadley Richins and
Lili Suguturaga, who each recorded 13 points.
Maliyah Elliott tallied 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists while
Brooke Pennington scored 11 points and
Kiriana Hawaikirangi added 10 in the victory.
Following the win, the Badgers were pitted against the preseason No. 10 Casper in the final game of the Snow College Classic. The Badgers led for fewer than three and a half minutes throughout the entire game en route to the 2-point victory.
Casper sprinted out of the gates and took a 10-2 lead just over three minutes into the action. The Thunderbirds would eventually lead by as many as 12, but the Badgers used an 8-0 run to finish the first quarter and start the second quarter to trim the lead to 21-17. Snow College would eventually enter the halftime break trailing 34-27.
Casper maintained its lead through the opening minutes of the second half before a quick 6-0 burst from the Badgers leveled the score at 41. The game would enter the fourth quarter with the Thunderbirds holding a slim 55-54 advantage.
The fourth quarter was jam-packed with action as it saw a total of five lead changes and four ties. No team led by more than three points throughout the final 10 minutes. Casper took a 2-point lead with under 90 seconds to play.
On the ensuing possession, the Badgers gave the ball to Pennington who drove to her right. She absorbed contact from her defender while finishing the layup. She went to the line and calmly converted the 3-point play, giving the Badgers a 69-68 lead with just over a minute left.
The Badgers defense came up with a stop and Elliott added a free throw. The Casper 3-pointer to win clanged off the rim and the Badgers held on to win, 70-68.
Elliott led the Badgers in scoring as she recorded a career-high 18 points and dished six assists. Elliott's efforts over the weekend were strong enough to earn her the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Week. Pennington finished with 16 points, while Hawaikirangi chipped in 10 points and grabbed six steals to aid in the victory.
The Badgers will now head out onto the road and participate in the Western Wyoming Classic. They will take on the host school Western Wyoming Community College Thursday at 7:00 p.m. before a matchup with Northeastern Junior College Friday at 5:00 p.m. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.
