Men’s Basketball Heads to Twin Falls for Wright Physical Therapy Shootout

OPENING TIP

No. 14/8 Snow College looks to stay unbeaten as it takes on Central Wyoming College and Wenatchee Valley Community College this weekend in the Wright Physical Therapy Shootout.

The Badgers will face CWC Friday with tip-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and will take on WVCC Saturday also at 3:00 p.m.

Snow College has ushered in new head coach Andrew May to a 5-0 start which is the best start to a season the team has had since it went 13-0 to start the 2018-19 campaign.

The Badger’s 72-66 victory over No. 2 Florida SouthWestern State College was the highest-ranked team they have ever beaten.

Snow College is averaging 100.2 points per game which is the 17th-best mark in the NJCAA. The Badgers also lead the nation in defensive efficiency allowing just .71 points per possession.

The Badgers have had six players each score in double figures in four out of the first five games this season. They currently have six players averaging double figures in points led by Sophomore Hayden Franson (minimum of four games played), who averages 15.4 points per game.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Snow College has scored 501 points through the first five games of the season which is the most they have scored over their first five games to start a season since 2018-19 in which they scored 503 points.

The Badgers are sharing the ball well as they are in the top 10 in the country in assists averaging 23.8 helpers per game.

Snow College is tied for eighth in the country in rebounds averaging 53.0 rebounds per game, tied with Columbia State, and is 2.6 rebounds below second-place Indian River State College.

At a clip of 13.2 made 3-pointers per game, the Badgers are shooting 40.2 percent from distance through the first five games of the season.

In addition to being tops in the nation in defensive efficiency, Snow College is sixth in the country in defensive field goal percentage at just 33.8 percent. The Badgers also crack the top 10 in defensive 3-point percentage at 22.1 points per game.

ABOUT CENTRAL WYOMING:

The Rustlers have started the season with a 3-2 overall record with victories over the College of Southern Nevada (74-71), Colorado Northwestern Community College (104-73), and Lamar Community College (99-77).

CWC averages 83.6 points per game on 45.5 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from deep on 8.6 3-pointers made per game.

The Badgers are 8-2 against the Rustlers since 2013-14 having won eight consecutive matches dating back to Nov. 20, 2015. The last meeting resulted in a 109-67 victory for Snow College Jan 30, 2021.

ABOUT WENATCHEE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE:

WVCC will play its first game of the regular season Nov. 18 when it takes on No. 7 College of Southern Idaho on the first day of the Wright Physical Therapy Shootout Friday.

The Knights are coming off a 2021-22 season that saw them go 18-14 overall and 15-1 in the Northwest Athletic Conference, which was best in the East Division.

Saturday’s meeting will mark the first-ever between the two teams.

LAST TIME OUT: In what will be remembered as one of the best wins in program history, the Snow College men’s basketball team defeated No. 2 ranked Florida SouthWestern State College Saturday. The Badgers also defeated Jump Start Sports Academy as part of the Snow College Classic.

The Badgers hosted four teams for the two-day event. They started off the weekend defeating Jump Start 101-48, which was the third time in the first four games of the season in which the Badgers surpassed the century mark in points.

Snow College led at halftime 43-27. The offense really hit its stride in the second half as the Badgers shot 57 percent from the field and 58 percent from deep as they cruised to the victory.

Six Badgers scored in double figures led by Dayshawn Wiley who had 18 points. Chase Potter poured in 15 points while Dylan Jones had 14. Gaige Savage had 13 points while Zach Visentin and Jamir Stephens each had 10 in the victory.

Following the win, the Badgers were pitted against the FSSC Buccaneers in a top-20 showdown. The Buccaneers were ranked second in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Rankings while the Badgers had moved from 24-19 after the first week of action.

FSSC came to the tournament after winning its first game of the season against St. Petersburg College. They were defeated in the first game of the Snow Classic by Utah State University Eastern 78-71.

The Badgers struggled coming out of the gate as the Buccaneers jumped out to a 12-4 lead five minutes into action. Snow College quickly turned things around and outscored FSSC 33-21 the rest of the first half to take a 37-32 lead into the halftime break.

Snow College took command of the game by virtue of a 13-6 run to start the second half which gave the Badgers a 50-38 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining. They would extend the lead to 15 over the next two and a half minutes to take a 60-45 lead.

After shooting 47 percent from three in the first half, the Badger’s shooting from distance cooled off significantly in the second half going just 1-10 from beyond the arc in the period. They made up for this by scoring in the paint and converting on Buccaneer turnovers. Snow College scored 36 points in the paint throughout the game. They also capitalized on 22 Buccaneer giveaways scoring 25 points off turnovers.

The Badgers led by as many as 17 points in the second half before the Buccaneers made one final comeback attempt. They applied a full-court press that caused some issues for the Badgers. FSSC proceeded to go on a 13-2 run over the final few minutes, but the deficit was too much to overcome, and Snow College would hold on to the 72-66 victory.

It was a balanced score sheet for the Badgers as six players again finished in double figures led by Visentin’s 14 points. Clayton Southwick finished with 12 points while Potter, Colin Christensen, Savage, and Hayden Franson each had 10 points.

Now sitting at 5-0, the Badgers are off to their best start to a season since the 2018-2019 campaign during which they started 13-0. Additionally, Snow College leads the nation in defensive efficiency allowing just 0.71 points per possession.

Snow College will now head out onto the road for the first time this season. The Badgers will travel to Twin Falls, Idaho to participate in the Wright Physical Therapy Shootout where they will face a pair of opponents. They will play Central Wyoming College Friday at 3:00 p.m. followed by a match with Wenatchee Valley Community College Saturday, also at 3:00 p.m. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

Continue to share the ball: The Badgers have assisted on 66 percent of their made field goals this season which has led to nine different players scoring in double figures in at least one of the five games played. A balanced scoresheet has been the Badger’s best calling card this season.

Defend the 3-point line: CWC averages a respectable 36.4 percent from 3-point range and has five players shooting at a 35 percent or better clip from distance. While just averaging eight 3-pointers made per game, defending the 3-point line will be important to ensure the Rustlers don’t get into a rhythm from deep.

NEXT UP:

The Badgers will head to Yuma, Arizona to participate in the Chapman Automotive Thanksgiving Basketball Classic Nov. 25 and 26. They will take on Arizona Western College and Yavapai College.

The Matadors are 3-0 on the season with victories over Palo Verde College (116-61), Community Christian College (114-60), and Imperial Valley College (103-37). The match is scheduled to tip Friday, Nov. 25 at 5:30 p.m.

Yavapai is 2-2 on the season with wins over New Mexico Junior College (56-51) and Navajo Technical University (92-75). Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. For video streaming and live stat information, visit snowbadgers.com.