GAME NOTES: The Snow College men's basketball team will wrap up its 3-game home stretch against Utah State University Eastern Thursday in Ephraim. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center.

The Badgers enter the rivalry game having won 12 straight games, including defeating North Idaho College 88-81 before earning a 110-82 victory against No. 16 College of Southern Idaho last weekend in Ephraim. Snow College owns a 19-1 overall record and a 5-0 mark within Scenic West Athletic Conference Play.

Snow College's 110-82 victory against CSI was the largest margin of victory ever against the Golden Eagles. It is also the first time since Jan. 5, 2017, the Badgers have scored more than 100 points in a matchup against CSI.

Coleman Ford (So./Provo, Utah/Timpview HS) played an integral part in the two victories over the weekend. He scored a career-high 17 points in the Badgers' 88-81 victory against NIC Thursday. Ford followed up his career night by scoring 25 points on 9-12 shooting, including going 5-6 from beyond the 3-point arc in the victory against CSI.

Snow College continues to be one of the best teams in the nation in multiple shooting categories. The Badgers are fifth in field goal percentage (.523), 13th in 3-point percentage (.376), and second in free-throw percentage (.790).

The Badgers made 15 3-pointers in their victory against CSI Saturday while shooting 50 percent on attempts from beyond the arc.  This is the third time this season they have connected on 50 percent or more of their 3-pointers.

The Eagles are 11-6 overall this season and have won two of their first five conference games entering Thursday's matchup. They had lost three straight games before earning an 87-80 victory against NIC last Saturday in Price.

The Badgers are 33-18 all time against USUE and have won two of their last three games against the Eagles. Snow College defeated USUE 77-75 in the first matchup this season in Price.

LAST TIME OUT: It is a dozen straight victories for the No. 1 Snow College men's basketball team as they take down North Idaho College 88-81 before earning a convincing 110-82 victory against the No. 16 College of Southern Idaho.

The Badgers entered the weekend following a pair of victories on the road. They defeated Scenic West Athletic Conference foe USUE 77-75 before wrapping up their non-conference schedule with a 92-59 victory against Central Wyoming College last weekend.

Snow College led wire to wire against the Cardinals and controlled the game off the heels of a hot start. Chance Trujillo (Fr./Kaysville, Utah/Davis HS) hit a pair of 3-pointers to help the Badgers go on a 10-0 run in the opening minutes to take a 24-10 lead midway through the first half.

The Badgers eventually extended the lead to 34-19 before the Cardinals punched back. NIC backed into a zone defense which created some problems for the Badgers offensively. The Cardinals used a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to just six with 3 and a half to play in the opening period.  The Badgers would hold NIC at bay and take a 45-38 lead into the halftime break.

Snow College started the second half similarly to the first half. They quickly jumped out to a 14-point lead after 6 points from Isaac Finlinson (So./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) sandwiched a layup from Trujillo to cap an 8-2 burst.

The Badgers maintained a double-digit lead for much of the second half and led by as many as 15 midway through the period, but the Cardinals would not go away. A 9-2 run from NIC saw the lead shrink to 6 points.

The Cardinals, led by Vaughn Weems, the nation's leading scorer, continued to put pressure on the Badgers. A 3-pointer with just over a minute to play trimmed the Badgers' lead to 83-79. Snow College was able to lock down defensively and force a pair of misses in the final minute while icing the game at the free-throw line to claim the 88-81 victory.

Finlinson shined as he matched his career high, finishing with 30 points and 7 rebounds. Trujillo flirted with a double-double as he put in 17 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Coleman Ford (So./Provo, Utah/Timpview HS) added 17 points while Isaac Garrett (So./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) finished with 10 points and 6 rebounds in the victory.

Following the victory, Snow College welcomed the No. 16-ranked Golden Eagles to town for the first time this season. The highly anticipated matchup was controlled from the opening tip as the Badgers never trailed in the 28-point victory.

The Badgers scored the first points of the game and never looked back. A 10-10 tie six minutes into action preceded a 14-1 run from the Badgers during which they made three 3-pointers and forced a trio of turnovers to take a 24-11 lead midway through the period.

The Golden Eagles would trim the lead to single digits over the next five minutes, but Snow College closed the first half with a flourish.  Over the final five minutes, the Badgers outscored CSI 19-8 while going 7-10 from the field. 

The Horne Activity Center erupted as Mark Brown Jr. (So./South Phoenix, Arizona/Bella Vista Prep) stole the ball and threw a pass ahead to Ford who finished the fastbreak with a layup before the buzzer to give the Badgers a 53-33 lead at the half.

Snow College maintained the momentum into the second half despite an initial burst from the Golden Eagles. The Badgers used a 9-0 run to take a 72-44 lead with 14 minutes to play. They would eventually extend the lead to as many as 33 midway through the second half.

CSI made one final push and trimmed the lead to 20 with under five minutes to play. Snow College made one final statement over the last four minutes and went on a 16-6 run to regain a 30-point advantage before securing the 110-82 victory.

Ford had potentially his best game in a Badger uniform as he smashed his previous career high, which was set against NIC two nights earlier, finishing with 25 points on 9-12/5-6 shooting. Finlinson recorded 20 points while Brown Jr. tallied 17 points and 8 assists. Kyle Lemke (Fr./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) matched his career high with 16 points while McCaden Adams (Fr./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) and Trujillo both finished with 13 points to aid in the victory.

UP NEXT: Snow College will head back out onto the road for rematches against CSI and NIC next weekend in Idaho. The Badgers will take on CSI Thursday, Jan. 30, in Twin Falls at 7:00 p.m. before taking on NIC Saturday, Feb. 1, at 3:00 p.m. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.