GAME NOTES

• The Snow College men's basketball team will head to Twin Falls, Idaho, to face Utah State University Eastern in the first round of the Region 18 Tournament Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. inside CSI Gymnasium.

 

• The Badgers enter the postseason after suffering consecutive losses for the first time since 2024. They suffered a 79-69 defeat to North Idaho College before falling to No. 3 College of Southern Idaho 71-66.

 

• Snow College will enter the tournament as the two seed. After its victory over the Badgers in the final game of the regular season, CSI won the Scenic West Athletic Conference Championship and will host the tournament as the one seed.

 

• The Badgers scored fewer than 70 points in both games last weekend. It's the only two games this season Snow College has scored in the 60s, and just the third time in the last two seasons.

 

• Additionally, the Badgers shot 36 percent from the field against NIC and 40 percent against CSI. These are the worst two shooting percentages in a game this season. Snow College also shot 40 percent in a win over NIC earlier this season.

 

• The Badgers led at halftime against the Golden Eagles but ended up suffering the loss. They have led at halftime in 26 of their 30 games this season. They have won all but two of those games. Both of those losses came to CSI.

 

• USUE enters the tournament with a 22-8 overall record and went 9-6 in conference play. This is the first time since the 2013-14 season the Eagles have surpassed 20 wins. They went 21-10 overall that year.

 

• The Badgers swept the season series against the Eagles, winning all three matchups by an average margin of 12.7 points per game. The two teams have not faced each other in the Region 18 Tournament since the 2018-19 season, when the Badgers earned a 73-62 victory in Price.

 
LAST TIME OUT: The Snow College men's basketball team closed its regular-season road slate with a pair of defeats, falling 79-69 at North Idaho College Thursday before dropping a 71-66 decision Saturday at No. 3 College of Southern Idaho. It's the first time the Badgers have lost back-to-back games since Feb. 2024.
 
The Badgers entered the final weekend of the season as the number one team in the nation. They needed a victory against CSI to win the Scenic West Athletic Conference Championship and earn the right to host the Region 18 Tournament.
 
Brock McClure and McCaden Adams paced the early offensive effort against NIC, each scoring eight points in the opening period. Sean Felts added eight of his own and controlled the glass, helping the Badgers stay within one possession for much of the half despite the Cardinals shooting 46.7 percent from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.
 
The first half was a true back-and-forth battle that saw a total of five ties and 10 lead changes. Neither team was able to gain a lead of more than one possession before the Cardinals took a 35-30 edge with two minutes remaining. NIC ended up taking a 37-34 lead into the break.
 
The Badgers regained and held the lead for the majority of the second half. A three-pointer from Max Toombs pushed Snow College ahead 50-45 with just under 13 minutes to play. Sean Felts then hit a jumper to give the Badgers their largest lead of the game, 59-52, with seven and a half to play.
 
NIC responded with a decisive run. The Cardinals outscored the Badgers 18-3 over the next five minutes to take a 70-62 lead. NIC capitalized at the free-throw line down the stretch, going 16-20 in the second half to seal the 79-69 victory.
 
Snow College shot 36 percent from the field – their worst shooting percentage of the season – and just 5-26 from three-point range. McClure led the Badgers with 17 points, while Adams finished with 13. Felts added a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
 
Following the loss, the Badgers turned their attention to No. 3 CSI in a game that would determine the Conference Champion.
 
After trailing early against the Golden Eagles, the Badgers would slowly build a small lead over the remainder of the first half. A dunk from Felts and a jumper from Sam Sivulich gave the Badgers a 29-23 edge with 2:36 to play. They'd eventually take a four-point lead into halftime.
 
The Badgers maintained the lead throughout the majority of the first 16 minutes of the second half. They held a 58-54 lead with five minutes to play before a quick 5-0 burst from the Golden Eagles turned the game around.
 
The two teams traded buckets over the next two and a half minutes before a 3-point play gave CSI the lead for good. The Golden Eagles sealed the deal at the free-throw line to earn the 71-66 victory.
 
Snow College struggled to find rhythm from beyond the arc, finishing just 2-19 from distance. Over the past four games, the Badgers, who shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc for much of the season, are shooting just 25.2 percent on 3-point attempts.
 
Felts led Snow College with 15 points and seven rebounds. Adams added 11, while Sivulich contributed eight points and four assists. Max Toombs chipped in nine off the bench.
 
UP NEXT: With a win, the Badgers move into the Region 18 Championship for the second consecutive season. They would await the winner of the other first-round matchup between NIC and CSI. The championship, should the Badgers make it, will take place Saturday at 3:00 p.m. inside CSI Gymnasium. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.