Snow women’s basketball closes home schedule with statement sweep

EPHRAIM — Snow College’s women capped their home schedule with a pair of conference wins that looked very different but carried the same result.

The Badgers defeated Salt Lake Community College 57-45 before pulling away from Colorado Northwestern Community College 94-63, completing their first sweep of conference play this season.

The weekend followed a 73-66 loss to Utah State University Eastern, and Snow responded with improved defensive focus and balanced scoring.

Against SLCC, the Badgers trailed early as the Bruins opened on a 9-2 run and led 18-11 after the first quarter. Snow shifted momentum in the second period behind Lala Baldwin and Sara Aoki.

Baldwin scored seven early points in the quarter, and Aoki followed with a five-point stretch that included an and-one layup to give Snow its first lead of the game. The Badgers’ defense did the rest. Snow held SLCC to five points in the second quarter on 25 percent shooting and forced nine turnovers to take a nine-point lead into halftime.

The defensive effort carried into the third quarter, where Snow limited the Bruins to seven points on 3-of-14 shooting. The Badgers extended the lead to 48-30 entering the fourth and maintained control down the stretch.

Baldwin led all scorers with 24 points on 53 percent shooting, adding eight assists and four rebounds for her fourth 20-point game of the season. Aoki finished with 10 points, and Seini Tuipulotu led the team with six rebounds.

Two days later, Snow’s offense took center stage.

The matchup with CNCC opened at a fast pace, with both teams scoring 15 points in the first five minutes. Snow led 29-27 after one quarter with eight different players contributing to the scoring column.

The Spartans kept the game within reach through the second quarter and trailed 45-41 at halftime. The turning point came in the third.
After early baskets from Avery Allred, the Badgers outscored CNCC 19-3 over a decisive stretch to build a 72-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Snow continued to add to its advantage in the final period to secure the 94-63 win.

Megan Johnson led the team with 14 points. Baldwin added 13, Tuipulotu scored 12, and Dalana Jakovljevic, Aoki and Sydnee Smith each finished with 11. Baldwin recorded seven assists, and Jakovljevic pulled down eight rebounds.

Snow closes the regular season on the road, beginning Thursday at North Idaho College. The winner of that matchup will clinch the fourth seed in the Region 18 Tournament. The Badgers will finish the regular season Feb. 28 at No. 9 College of Southern Idaho.