GAME NOTES: The Snow College men's basketball team will return to Ephraim to play its first home games in nearly two months and take on North Idaho College Thursday at 7:00 p.m. before hosting the No. 16 College of Southern Idaho Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
 
The Badgers are coming off a pair of victories against Utah State University Eastern and Central Wyoming College last weekend. They defeated the Eagles 77-75 followed by a 92-59 victory against the Rustlers to secure their 10^th straight victory.
 
Snow College is off to a 17-1 start with a 3-0 mark within Scenic West Athletic Conference play. The 17 wins in the first 18 games of the season is the best start for the Badgers in over 15 seasons.  They started the 2023-24 season winning 16 of their first 18 games.
 
The Badgers made 17 3-pointers – the most triples they have made in a game this season – in their victory over CWC. Snow College, which hadn't shot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc in a game since Nov. 21, connected on 55 percent of their 3-point attempts against the Rustlers.
 
Despite some recent shooting struggles, the Badgers are still one of the best shooting teams in the country. Snow College is shooting an average of 53 percent from the field this season, which ranks fifth in the nation.
 
NIC is home to the nation's leading scorer. Vaughan Weems, a sophomore from Federal Way, Washington, is averaging 29.5 points per game this season. He leads the county in both field goals and free throws made this season.
 
This is the second consecutive season the SWAC has been home to the nation's leading scorer at some point during the season as Utah State University Eastern's Martel Williams averaged 27 points per game for the Eagles last season.
 
NIC owns an 11-7 overall record this season and a 1-2 mark within conference play. The Cardinals are coming off an 80-69 loss against No. 22 Salt Lake Community College last weekend. The Badgers are 8-22 all time against NIC and have lost 10 of their last 11 against the Cardinals.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College men's basketball team collected two more victories over the weekend. The Badgers defeated Utah State University Eastern 77-75 before earning a 92-59 victory against Central Wyoming College.
 
Snow College entered the weekend matchups following a pair of victories to begin Scenic West Athletic Conference play. The Badgers defeated No. 4 Salt Lake Community College and Colorado Northwestern Community College.
 
The Badgers got off to a slow start Thursday against the Eagles. They found themselves trailing 12-8 just four minutes into action. The Eagles were torching the nets in the opening 10 minutes of action. They went 9-11 from the field including a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc to take a 22-13 lead midway through the period.
 
Snow College responded and began to find the bottom of the net. The Badgers went on a 16-4 run over the next five minutes to take a 29-26 lead. They would end up taking a 37-32 lead into the halftime break.
 
It was the Badgers who got out to the hot start to begin the second half. Over the first eight minutes of action, they shot 8-14 from the field and 3-7 from deep during the midst of a 19-9 run, which extended the lead to 56-42. 
 
Snow College would eventually lead 71-56 with six minutes to play but the Eagles would not go away.  An 11-0 run over a four-minute stretch saw USUE trim the lead to 71-67 with 1:47 to play. A pair of broken plays allowed the Badgers to score at the rim and they led 77-71 with 18 seconds to play.
 
Two free throws from the Eagles and a turnover from the Badgers led to an open layup for USUE making the score 77-75 with four seconds to play. USUE fouled on the ensuing possession, but the first free throw of a 1-and-1 missed, giving the Eagles a chance to win. Their 3-pointer at the buzzer found only the backboard and Snow College held on to the 2-point victory.
 
Chance Trujillo (Fr./Kaysville, Utah/Davis HS) led the Badgers in scoring with 15 points on 4-8 shooting from the field. Isaac Finlinson (So./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds while Mark Brown Jr. (So./South Phoenix, Arizona/Bella Vista Prep) added 14 points and 4 steals in the victory.
 
Following the victory, the Badgers headed to Riverton, Wyoming, to take on the Rustlers in their final non-conference tune up of the season. Snow College has played CWC twice so far this season winning both matchups by a combined 114 points.
 
Saturday's matchup would see a similar result despite seeing a much tighter game in the first half. The Rustlers jumped out to a 12-9 lead five minutes into the first period. The Badgers would eventually find their rhythm and take a 43-32 lead with 90 seconds left in the first half.  They led 45-37 at the break.
The second half saw more of the same. The Badgers caught fire from beyond the arc going 10-15 in the final 20 minutes. In total, Snow College made 17 3-pointers on 31 attempts, which is the most triples they've made in a game this season.
 
The Badgers faced little resistance on the offensive end as they shot 60 percent from the field in the second half. They cruised to the 92-59 victory to improve to 17-1 overall.
 
Five Badgers scored in double figures, led by Finlinson, who finished with 23 points on 7-10/5-7 shooting. Trujillo poured in 16 points, while Brown Junior recorded 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. McCaden Adams (Fr./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) tallied 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, while Kyle Lemke (Fr./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) added 11 points in the win.

UP NEXT: The Badgers will continue their home stand against USUE Thursday Jan. 23. The matchup is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.