The Snow College men's basketball team earned an 83-77 victory over No. 4 College of Southern Idaho Saturday afternoon inside the Horne Activity Center. The Badgers have now won 23 straight home games dating back through last season.
 
The Badgers entered the top-5 matchup off the heels of an 80-72 victory against North Idaho College Thursday in Ephraim. Snow College had the opportunity to hand the Golden Eagles their first conference loss of the season.
 
Snow College opened the game by attacking the basket and getting to the free-throw line, but CSI responded with efficient shooting to take a 13-8 lead five minutes into the action. Kyle Lemke provided an immediate impact off the bench, scoring repeatedly in the paint as the Badgers stayed within striking distance.
 
Lemke scored a career-high 19 points in the first half alone on 9-of-11 shooting, accounting for exactly half of Snow College's first-half points. He scored half of the points on a 12-0 run to give the Badgers a 20-13 edge.
 
Despite Lemke's production, Snow College struggled from the perimeter in the opening half, missing all nine attempts from 3-point range. CSI took advantage and used a 15-5 run over the final five minutes to take a 39-38 lead into halftime.
 
Snow College opened the second half with an Aaron Bliss dunk inside to start the scoring, and the Badgers began to control the paint offensively. Brock McClure and McCaden Adams combined for multiple baskets in transition and at the rim as Snow College moved back in front.
 
The game remained close through the opening minutes of the second half before the Badgers began to create separation. The Badgers' lone made 3-pointer of the entire game was made by Adams at the 13:41 mark of the second half to give the Badgers a 53-45 lead.
 
Snow College extended its lead to double digits with just over five minutes to play in the second half after Lemke finished a layup, and Adams converted a fast-break basket. The Badgers' largest lead of the game came at the 3:34 mark when Sam Sivulich knocked down a jumper to make it an 11-point advantage.
 
CSI fought back and trimmed the lead to as few as four points with under 30 seconds to play. Adams and McClure combined to go 7-of-8 from the line in the final minute to preserve the win as the Badgers closed out the contest at the stripe.
 
Lemke led Snow College with a career-high 29 points, finishing 14-of-16 from the field. Adams added 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while McClure recorded 16 points and a team-high 12 rebounds – his 11^th double-double of the season. Snow College outrebounded the Golden Eagles and scored 62 points in the paint.
 
The Badgers held the Golden Eagles to shoot just 32 percent from the field in the second half. The defense was critical as the Badgers went a mere 1-16 from beyond the arc. It's the fewest 3-pointers made and the lowest percentage the Badgers have had in a game in more than a decade.
 
Snow College will now head to Taylorsville and take on Salt Lake Community College Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Badgers will then proceed to Rangely, Colorado, to face Colorado Northwestern Community College Saturday at 3:00 p.m. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.