The Snow College women's basketball team was defeated 71-68 by North Idaho College Thursday in Ephraim.  The Badgers have now lost four straight including each of their last three home games.
 
Following an 82-57 loss to No. 24 Utah State University Eastern last weekend, the Badgers returned home for their final two home games against the regular season against NIC and the College of Southern Idaho.
 
The Badgers used a 10-0 run after falling behind 5-0 to take a 10-5 lead early in the first quarter.  Snow College extended the lead out to as many as eight before taking a 19-12 lead into the second quarter.
 
A 3-pointer from Brooke Pennington capped a 7-0 Badgers run in the opening minutes of the second frame extending the lead to 14 points.  A 9-0 burst from the Cardinals wouldn't deter the Badgers as they entered the halftime break with a 35-25 lead.
 
Snow College held the lead for much of the third quarter, but the Cardinals slowly began to chip away as time went on.  NIC leveled the score at 42 apiece with just over three minutes to play in the third.  The Badgers rallied to score the final seven points of the quarter and led 49-42 entering the final stanza.
 
The Cardinals quickly flipped the game on its head as they scored 13 of the first 15 points to begin the fourth quarter and take a 55-51 lead.  The Badgers tied the game at 55 following a pair of layups from Iyana Beh a few minutes later.
 
Both teams exchanged free throws and the game entered the final minute tied at 65.  A Cardinal 3-pointer gave them the lead which was followed by a missed layup for Snow College.  The Badgers were forced to play the foul game, but it wasn't enough as they suffered the 71-68 defeat.
 
Enid Vaifanua scored a season-high 19 points and grabbed four rebounds while Ainsley Thurber added 18 points and five rebounds.  Maliyah Elliott fell just short of a double-double as she tallied 13 points and nine rebounds.  Beh chipped in 10 points in the loss.
 
Snow College will now prepare for its final home game of the season as it takes on No. 15 College of Southern Idaho Saturday in Ephraim.  The Golden Eagles are 22-5 overall and 5-2 within conference play.  They defeated the Badgers 91-49 in Twin Falls Jan. 13.  
 
Saturday's game is slated to tipoff at 1:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center in Ephraim.  For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.