Tying a record that has stood for nearly 50 years, the No. 1 Snow College men's basketball team secured its 18
th consecutive victory against Utah State University Eastern Thursday in Price. The Badgers have tied the record for most consecutive wins, set during the 1977-78 season.
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Snow College entered the standalone matchup off the heels of a pair of victories last weekend. The Badgers earned a 98-84 victory against Colorado Northwestern Community College and a 91-86 overtime win against Salt Lake Community College.
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The Badgers exploded out of the gates. Over the first 10 minutes, they shot 13-16 (.813) from the field and 7-9 (.778).
Chance Trujillo (Fr./Kaysville, Utah/Davis HS) splashed each of his first four 3-point attempts during a three-minute stretch.
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Snow College took their largest lead of the game as
McCaden Adams (Fr./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) hit a 3-pointer to give the Badgers a 34-16 advantage midway through the period. The hot shooting would quickly cool off, and the Eagles would make a run to finish the period.
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Over the final ten minutes of the first half, the Badgers shot just 1-16 from the field and missed all eight of their attempts from beyond the arc. USUE capitalized by going on a 23-5 run while shooting 9-13 from the field and 3-6 from distance. The run leveled the score at 39 heading into the halftime break.
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The Badgers' struggles continued into the second half. USUE made five of their first seven shots, including two 3-pointers to start the half to build a 51-46 lead – the largest lead of the game for the Eagles. Snow College turned on the jets and regained control over the next seven minutes.
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The Badgers used a 23-6 run, which included 10 points from
Isaac Garrett (So./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS), to take a 69-57 lead with just over seven minutes to play. Snow College held a reasonable lead before the Eagles made one final push.
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A quick 5-0 burst from USUE cut the Badgers' lead to just five with 3:30 to play. Garrett took over during the final minutes of the game. He scored each of the final eight points to help fend off the Eagles. The Badgers went on to claim their 18
th straight victory, 83-73.
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Garrett led the Badgers offensively as he recorded his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Trujillo added 16 points on 5-8/4-7 shooting, while
Isaac Finlinson (So./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) put in 10 points to aid in the victory.
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With the win, the Badgers improve to 25-1 overall and a perfect 11-0 mark within conference play. As a result, Snow College claimed the Scenic West Athletic Conference regular season title and the right to host the Region 18 tournament at the end of the regular season.
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Snow College will head out on its final road trip and take on CNCC and SLCC for the final time this season. The Badgers will try to sweep the season series against the Spartans next Thursday at 7:00 p.m. before taking on the Bruins Saturday, Feb. 22, at 3:00 p.m. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.
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