GAME NOTES: The Snow College men's basketball team will take on Salt Lake Community College in the first round of the Region 18 Tournament Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Ephraim. Should the Badgers win, they will advance to the championship round and take on either the College of Southern Idaho or North Idaho College.
 
The Badgers capped off the regular season by defeating CSI and NIC to finish conference play with a perfect 15-0 record. Snow College will also enter the Region Championship riding a 22-game winning streak.
 
Following the victories, Isaac Finlinson (So./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) was named the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the fifth time this season. Finlinson averaged 21.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game to secure the award.
 
The Badgers finished the regular season with a 29-1 overall record which ties the mark set during the 1998-99 campaign for wins in a season. Snow College finishes with the most wins in the NJCAA and is the No. 1 team in the final NJCAA Men's Basketball DI Poll of the year.
 
The 2024-25 season marks the first time in program history that Snow College has gone undefeated in SWAC play, and just the second time ever the Badgers have finished their conference schedule without a loss. The Badgers went 10-0 during the 1976-77 season.
 
The Badgers shot 51 percent from the floor in the win against the Cardinals. This is the 19^th time this season they have shot 50 percent or better from the field. They are currently fourth in the nation in both field-goal percentage (.517), and 3-point percentage (.393).
 
SLCC finished the regular season with a 19-11 overall record and a 7-8 mark within conference play. Snow College defeated the Bruins in all three meetings this year. It's the first time since the 2018-19 season the Badgers swept the season series against the Bruins.
 
The Badgers are scoring an average of 84 points per game against the Bruins this season. They are outscoring SLCC by just under seven points per game through their three meetings. Most recently, Snow College earned an 84-70 victory in Taylorsville Feb. 2.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Matching a record that has stood for 26 years, the No. 1 Snow College men's basketball team finished the 2024-25 season with a 29-1 overall record after defeating the College of Southern Idaho and North Idaho College over the weekend. This ties the record for most wins in a season, which was set during the 1998-99 season.
 
The Badgers entered the game following a pair of victories against Colorado Northwestern Community College (94-71) and Salt Lake Community College (84-70). Snow College came into play looking to go undefeated in conference play since going 10-0 during the 1976-77 season.
 
The Badgers came out firing on all cylinders against the Golden Eagles. A 3-pointer from Isaac Finlinson (So./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) capped a 9-0 run to start the game. CSI didn't record its first points until nearly four minutes had elapsed, and the Badgers found themselves leading 16-5 with 15 minutes left in the first half.
 
An 8-0 run from CSI over the next few minutes trimmed the lead to three. The Badgers kept the Golden Eagles at bay over the final ten minutes of the first half. A jumper from Kyle Lemke (Fr./St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) and a layup from Finlinson gave the Badgers a 41-35 lead heading into the break.
 
Snow College scored eight of the first 10 points of the second half to push the lead back to double figures. After CSI made a free throw and a jumper to get back within nine, the Badgers used an 11-4 run to take a 60-44 lead midway through the second half.
 
The lead would not dip below double figures again as a 3-pointer from McCaden Adams (Fr./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) gave the Badgers a 19-point lead. They were able to salt away the remaining minutes and earn an 85-63 victory.
 
Isaac Garrett (So./Pleasant Grove, Utah/Pleasant Grove HS) led the Badgers offensively with 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Finlinson finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Adams had 11 points while Mark Brown Jr. (So./South Phoenix, Arizona/Bella Vista Prep) tallied 10 points and dished four assists.
 
The Badgers turned around and hosted NIC for their final game of the regular season. Once again, Snow College got off to a good start, scoring 10 of the first 12 and 18 of the first 23 points to take an 18-5 lead just five minutes into the action.
 
Over the next three minutes, the Cardinals whittled the lead down to six with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half. Five straight points from Coleman Ford (So./Provo, Utah/Timpview HS) preceded a layup from Finlinson and the Badgers led 27-16 midway through the opening frame.
 
NIC punched back and went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to get back within three points. Snow College responded and took a 38-29 lead with under two minutes to play. The Cardinals scored the final seven points of the half to cut the Badgers' lead to just 38-36 at halftime.
 
The first few minutes of the second half teeter-tottered before a 3-pointer from Adams extended the Snow College lead to 11. A few minutes later, back-to-back triples gave the Badgers a 14-point advantage – their largest of the game.
 
The Cardinals would not go away and erased the deficit completely over the next four minutes. They used a 15-0 run to take a 61-60 lead with under eight minutes to play. The Badgers offense came alive as Finlinson and Chance Trujillo (Fr./Kaysville, Utah/Davis HS) hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Badgers a 68-65 lead with 3:35 to play.
 
A critical 6-0 run saw the Badgers take a 74-67 lead with just over 90 seconds to play. after two NIC free throws, Brown Jr. laced a 3-pointer, which electrified the home faithful, and Snow College led 77-69. Finlinson iced the game at the free-throw line as the Badgers held on to the 78-71 victory.
 
Finlinson led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed four rebounds. Ford finished with 13 points, while Trujillo put in 11. Brown Jr. added 10 points and five assists in the victory.
 
With the win, the Badgers finished with a 15-0 record within their Scenic West Athletic Conference schedule. This is the first time ever Snow College has gone undefeated in SWAC play.
 
UP NEXT: If the Badgers defeat the Bruins, they will face either CSI or NIC in the Region 18 Championship. Snow College is 3-0 against both teams this season, including going a combined 4-0 in Ephraim. Tickets for both the first round and the championship round are currently on sale. To purchase tickets or for video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.