GAME NOTES: The Snow College women's basketball team will begin its Scenic West Athletic Conference schedule Thursday against No. 19 Salt Lake Community College.  The Badgers will then take on Colorado Northwestern Community College Saturday in Rangely.  Tipoff against the Bruins is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. with Saturday's slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. 
 
The Badgers are coming off a 66-62 loss against Western Wyoming Community College Dec. 9 in Ephraim.  The loss to the Mustangs was the Badgers' first home loss of the season.  They currently own a 5-1 record when playing inside the Horne Activity Center.
 
Snow College shot just 34.8 percent from the field in its loss to the Mustangs.  This is the lowest shooting percentage from the field the Badgers have recorded this season and just the second time all year they have shot less than 40 percent from the field in a game. 
 
The Badgers are still among the best shooting teams in the country as they shoot an average of 46.0 percent from the field, which is good for 13^th overall.  They have shot 45 percent of better in 10 of their 14 games this season.
 
Despite their shooting percentage from the field, the Badgers didn't see the same woes from beyond the arc.  They made eight 3-point shots on 24 attempts.  This is tied for the most 3-pointers they have made in a game this season.  The Badgers are 17^th in the country in 3-point percentage at 34.6 percent.
 
The Bruins own an 11-3 overall to start the season and won five of their last six games entering Thursday's matchup.  Most recently, they suffered a 71-56 loss against No. 3 New Mexico Junior College Dec. 15 in Hobbs, New Mexico.  The Badgers have lost consecutive games against the Bruins after having won three of their previous 4 meetings.  Snow College's last victory was a 66-59 win Feb. 9, 2023 in Ephraim.
 
The Spartans have started the 2024-25 season with a 3-12 overall record and have lost six straight entering action this weekend. The Badgers are 39-2 all-time against the Spartans but lost their most recent matchup—a 65-64 defeat in the regular season finale on Feb. 25, 2023. The Badgers did not play the Spartans last year after CNCC canceled their 2023-24 season.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College women's basketball team went 1-2 in their final three non-conference games of the season.  The Badgers will enter conference play with an 11-4 overall record.
 
The Badgers entered the week of play following a pair of victories against Lower Columbia College Friday Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30. Snow College entered their final non-conference matches with a 10-2 record.
 
Snow College started the weekend against Casper College.  The Badgers defeated the Thunderbirds 70-68 during the opening weekend of the season.  The rematch would favor the Thunderbirds as they earned the 82-72 victory.
 
Casper got out to a hot start and outscored the Badgers 28-11 in the first quarter.  Snow College was able to cut into the deficit in the second quarter but ended up entering halftime trailing 41-33.
 
The Thunderbirds were able to push the lead back to double digits in the third quarter.  The Badgers did outscore Casper in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit and they suffered the loss, 82-72.
 
Four Badgers scored in double figures led by Brooke Pennington (So./Springville, UT/Springville, HS) who finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Maliyah Elliott (So./Auburn, WA/Auburn Mountain View HS) recorded 11 points while Sydnee Smith (Fr./Grace, ID/Grace HS) and Lili Suguturaga (So./Orem, UT/Mountain View HS) added 10 points in the loss.
 
Snow College turned around and squared off with Central Wyoming College Saturday in Ephraim.  It was the Badgers who got off to the hot start as they outscored the Rustlers 20-8 in the opening period. 
 
They continued the momentum into the second quarter but the Rustlers began to put up a fight.  Snow College ended the quarter scoring 11 of the final 15 points to take a 42-25 lead into the halftime break. 
 
The Badgers dominated the third quarter as they started on a 17-0 run to begin the period.  The Rustlers were held scoreless until the 3:45 mark of the quarter.  Snow College outscored CWC 25-8 and took a 67-33 lead into the fourth.
 
The Badgers continued the offensive momentum and scored 24 more points in the fourth quarter.  They shot 58 percent from the field and 83 percent from beyond the arc in the second half as they cruised to the 91-46 victory.
 
Madison Hosino (So./Layton, UT/Northridge HS) led all scorers with 21 points and 5 rebounds.  Smith added 16 points and 6 rebounds while Pennington tallied 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.  Hadley Richins (So./Henefer, UT/North Summit HS) scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in the victory.
 
The Badgers then hosted Western Wyoming Community College in what would be their final game of the calendar year.  Snow College got off to a rough start in the first quarter.  The Mustangs shot 58 percent from the field while the Badgers only shot 25 percent in the opening 10 minutes.
 
They turned things around in the second quarter backed by a few 3-pointers to cut into the deficit.  The Badgers were able to trim the Mustangs' lead down to 2 points but entered halftime trailing 36-32.
 
Snow College struggled in the third quarter and was unable to maintain any momentum offensively.  A 9-2 run from the Mustangs over the middle minutes of the third quarter gave them a 12-point lead.  The Badgers entered the fourth quarter trailing by 9.
 
Slowly but methodically, the Badgers cut into the deficit over the course of the fourth quarter.  eventually trailing by just 3 with a minute to play.  A layup following a WWCC timeout preceded a pair of missed jumpers from the Badgers.  The Mustangs iced the game at the free-throw line and earned the 66-62 victory.
 
Pennington led the Badgers in scoring as she poured in 15 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists.  Elliott was the other Badger in double figures as she finished with 14 points.  Richins stuffed the stat sheet with 7 points, a career-high 7 steals, and 5 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT: The Badgers will face Utah State University Eastern for the first time this season.  They will take on the Eagles Thursday, Jan. 9 inside the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center in Price.  The Eagles own an 8-6 overall record but have lost three of their last five matches.  Thursday's matchup is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.