Lady Badgers outlast USU Eastern, 73-63
By James Tilson
02-06-2019
EPHRAIM—Prevailing in a “gritty” game, the Snow College women’s basketball team outlasted Utah State University-Eastern 73-63 last Saturday.
The Lady Badgers relied on their balanced scoring and improved defense to pull away from the Lady Eagles in the second half.
“We have a very balanced scoring attack, which makes us a hard team to stop,” said Head Coach Mike Russell. “We can have anywhere from four to five scorers in the game at once, which allows us to really execute our stuff and get good shots.”
The first half of the game was very tight and neither team could assert an advantage. Snow had managed to manufacture a 37-33 lead at the break, but the Lady Eagles were not going away.
In the second half, the Lady Badgers really began to put the clamps down defensively, holding the Lady Eagles to 40 percent from the field and 24 percent from behind the arc, while their own 3-point shooting blossomed at a hot 50 percent.
Savannah Lucero led all scorers with 19 points, including 5-6 from three, and Lourdes Gonzalez put up a double-double, with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
With the win, Snow goes to 5-2 in the SWAC, only one game behind Salt Lake Community College at 6-2. There are three weeks left in the regular season, and the Lady Badgers are setting their sights on the No. 1 seed in the Region 18 Tournament at the end of the season.
“From my perspective, we still have a lot to fix on both ends of the floor before we can even begin to think about a No. 1 seed,” said Russell. “I do love the direction our team is trending though. I really believe that our best basketball is ahead of us.”
Snow will play Colorado Northwestern twice this week, once in Rangely, and then again on Saturday, Feb. 9 in Ephraim. However, the Lady Badgers suffered another season-ending injury during the victory. Gonzalez, who has become a “glue” player for the Lady Badgers, fractured her right hand with about two minutes left in the USU-E game. “We are going to have to have some people really step up in her absence, but I’m confident that we will be fine,” Russell said.
