GAME NOTES: The Snow College men's basketball team will head back out onto the road for a pair of games this weekend.  The Badgers will take on Utah State University Eastern Thursday at 7:00 p.m. before playing their final non-conference matchup of the season against Central Wyoming College Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
 
Snow College is coming off a weekend during which it went 2-0 in its first two conference games of the season. The Badgers defeated No. 4 Salt Lake Community College 77-76 before securing a 79-65 victory against Colorado Northwestern Community College.
 
Following the victories, Isaac Finlinson (So./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) was named the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Week. Finlinson recorded his fifth career double-double as he recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds against SLCC. He then recorded 27 points and 7 rebounds against CNCC to take home the award for the second time this season.
 
Finlinson wasn't the only member of the team who was recognized following the two victories.  Head coach Andrew May was named the Hoop Dirt Coach of the Week. May has the Badgers off to a 15-1 start for the second consecutive season.  As a team, the Badgers have won five games against teams ranked in the JUCO Advocate Media Poll and four victories against teams in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Poll.
 
The Badgers are among the leading teams in the nation in a pair of shooting categories.  As a team, they are shooting 52.7 percent from the field, which is 6^th best in the country. They also shoot 77.6 percent from the free-throw line, which is the 2^nd-best overall.
 
Snow College is also within the top 10 in a pair of efficiency categories. The Badgers hold an offensive efficiency of 1.230 which is 9^th overall, and their overall net efficiency is 0.342, which lands them 6^th overall.
 
The Badgers are 32-18 all time but have lost three of their last four against the Eagles. Their last win came in a 100-57 victory in Ephraim Jan. 27 2024.
 
Snow College is 13-3 all time against CWC and has won 13 straight against the Rustlers.  The Badgers have defeated CWC twice this season, most recently, a 112-48 result Dec. 4.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College men's basketball team collected two victories in the first weekend of Scenic West Athletic Conference play. The Badgers defeated No. 4 Salt Lake Community College 77-76 before earning a 79-65 victory against Colorado Northwest Community College.
 
The Badgers have been idle since earning a pair of victories at the Financial Partners Classic in Ottumwa, Iowa. Snow College defeated No. 5 Indian Hills Community College 93-88 before securing a 115-58 victory against Lake Region State College to wrap up the calendar year.
 
The Badgers got off to a slow start Thursday against the Bruins. SLCC scored the first eight points of the game, prompting a Snow College timeout. The Bruins continued the hot start and extended the lead to 19-9 midway through the opening period.
 
Snow College turned things around and used a 9-2 run to trim the deficit down to three. The Badgers kept it close over the next few minutes and trailed 27-24 with six and a half minutes left. The Bruins then went on a 19-6 extended run to take a 16-point lead with just over a minute remaining in the first half.  For just the second time this season, the Badgers would go into halftime trailing 48-36,
 
The opening minutes of the second half followed a similar suit to the first half. SLCC made 3-pointers on six consecutive possessions in the opening minutes to take a 66-47 lead, the largest of the game, with 12 minutes to play.
 
Over the next five minutes, the Badgers were able to cut the lead to single digits before another SLCC 3-pointer gave the Bruins a 71-59 lead with just under seven minutes to play. The lead remained 12 points with under five minutes to play when the Badgers caught fire.
 
Snow College proceeded to go on a 14-0 run over the final four minutes of the game to take a 76-74 lead.  It was Mark Brown Jr. (So./South Phoenix, Arizona/Bella Vista Prep) who capped off the run as he drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing to give the Badgers their first lead of the game.
 
The Bruins tied the score with nine seconds to play on a fastbreak layup following a missed 3-pointer. The Badgers inbounded to Isaac Finlinson (So./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS). As he looked to drive, he was fouled and went to the free-throw line.  Finlinson calmly sank the second of two foul shots to give the Badgers a 77-76 lead with three seconds to play.
 
The Bruins' last-second 3-pointer clanged off the rim, and the Badgers held on to the 77-76 victory. The Badgers shot just 39 percent from the field throughout the game, which is the second-lowest percentage they have shot in a game this season.
 
Isaac Garrett (So./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) led the Badgers in scoring as he poured in 28 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Brown Jr finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists while Finlinson recorded his fifth double-double of the season, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Following the victory, the Badgers traveled to Rangley, Colorado to take on CNCC. The Spartans, who suffered a 63-54 loss to Utah State University Eastern Thursday, are off to their best start to a season in program history as they entered Saturday's matchup with a 14-2 overall record.
 
The game was tight through the first few minutes of action. CNCC took a 9-8 lead with 13 minutes to play in the first half.  The Badgers went on an 11-3 run over the next three minutes to take a 7-point lead midway through the period. The 7-point lead would be the largest of the half for the Badgers before they took a 37-32 lead into halftime.
 
Snow College wasn't able to extend the lead and still led by five points midway through the second half, but a quick 8-0 run gave the Badgers a 56-43 lead with nine minutes to play. They led by as many as 19 before securing the 79-65 victory.
 
Finlinson led all scorers with 27 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Chance Trujillo (Fr./Kaysville, Utah/Davis HS) sank five 3-pointers to finish with 19 points. Kyle Lemke (Fr./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) added 12 points in the victory.
 
UP NEXT: Snow College will return home for the first time in nearly two months and continue conference play against North Idaho College and the College of Southern Idaho. The Badgers will take on the Cardinals Thursday, Jan. 16 at 7:00 p.m. before hosting the Golden Eagles Saturday, Jan. 18 with tipoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.