Snow basketball team suffers first defeat of season
Matt Harris
Staff writer
11-24-2016
PORTLAND, OR—The first defeat of the season for the Snow College men’s basketball team came at the hands of North Idaho College last Saturday.
The Cardinals came back from eight points down late in the fourth to go on a 14-2 run in the last few minutes and steal the win from the Badgers, who are now 6-1 on the season. The win gave North Idaho first place in the Portland Community College Tournament, with Snow taking second.
The Badgers began the tournament with their third 100-plus point game of the season, dispatching Green River Community College by a wide margin, 103-65. “We moved the ball well, and we played very well defensively,” head coach Rob Nielson said.
Sophomore Zach Hunsaker led the Badgers with 19 points, with sophomore Nate Bruneel adding 17 as one of five players in double figures for Snow. The Badgers shot 54 percent from the field and a blistering 62 percent from the three.
That Saturday was the killer for the Badgers with their loss to the Cardinals. North Idaho was led by sophomore Sam Dowd who had 21 points to go with eight assists on the night. Freshman Markus Golder was the Badger-killer as he sealed the late run by the Cardinals with a jump shot that tied the game. Two fouls later, Golder nailed four free throws to seal Snow’s fate. Once again, Hunsaker led all scorers in the game with 22 points, while sophomore Bruneel chipped in another 19. The offense cooled considerably, shooting 44 percent from the field.
“We couldn’t hit our shots down the stretch,” Nielson said. “It was a good experience for us against good competition.”
No Thanksgiving break comes for Snow, as they will participate in the Salt Lake Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday and Saturday.
The Badgers will take on Big Bend Community College on Friday before facing Western Nebraska on Saturday. Both game times are slated for 3 p.m. at the Lifetime Activities Center in Salt Lake City.
