Snow College knocks off No. 4 CSI to extend home winning streak
Photo by Kyle Parry.
EPHRAIM — The Snow College men’s basketball team defeated No. 4 College of Southern Idaho 83-77 on Saturday at the Horne Activity Center, handing the Golden Eagles their first conference loss of the season and extending the Badgers’ home winning streak to 23 games.
Snow entered the top-five matchup after an 80-72 win over North Idaho College on Thursday and kept pace early despite CSI’s efficient shooting. The Golden Eagles built a 13-8 lead five minutes into the game before Snow responded behind strong interior play.
Kyle Lemke provided an immediate spark off the bench, scoring repeatedly in the paint as Snow stayed within striking distance. Lemke scored 19 points in the first half on 9-of-11 shooting, accounting for half of Snow’s first-half points. His scoring fueled a 12-0 run that gave the Badgers a brief 20-13 advantage.
Snow struggled from the perimeter in the opening half, missing all nine 3-point attempts, and CSI closed the half on a 15-5 run to take a 39-38 lead into the break.
The Badgers regained control early in the second half, opening with an Aaron Bliss dunk and continuing to attack the basket. Brock McClure and McCaden Adams scored in transition and at the rim as Snow moved back in front.
Adams knocked down Snow’s lone 3-pointer of the game at the 13:41 mark of the second half to make it 53-45. Snow pushed the lead into double figures with just over five minutes remaining, and Sam Sivulich’s jumper at the 3:34 mark gave the Badgers their largest lead at 11.
CSI cut the deficit to four points in the final 30 seconds, but Adams and McClure combined to go 7 of 8 from the free-throw line in the final minute to close out the win.
Lemke finished with a career-high 29 points on 14-of-16 shooting. Adams added 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while McClure posted 16 points and 12 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season.
Snow outscored CSI 62-38 in the paint and outrebounded the Golden Eagles. The Badgers held CSI to 32 percent shooting in the second half while finishing 1 of 16 from beyond the arc, the fewest 3-pointers made by Snow in a game in more than a decade.
Snow College improved to 22-1 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The Badgers travel to Salt Lake Community College on Thursday before facing Colorado Northwestern Community College on Saturday in Rangely, Colorado.