Loving this team! #GoBruins! pic.twitter.com/umb0ZxOAZt
— Deneece (@SLCCHuftalin) March 19, 2016
No. 13 seed Salt Lake Community College dominated No. 8 seed Gillette College on their way to an 83-47 victory in a NJCAA National Tournament semifinal matchup in Hutchinson, Kansas.
SLCC (30-8) held Gillette (34-2) to their lowest point total of the season, forcing the Pronghorns to shoot 24.5 percent (13 of 53) from the field.
The Bruins gradually built their lead by putting pressure on Pronghorn shooters and drawing numerous offensive fouls. Gillette didn’t reach double figures until nine minutes left in the half.
SLCC led by 25 after the first 20 minutes of play and continued to harass the Gillette offense throughout the rest of the game.
Coach Phillips: "They jumped on them early w/ great defense drawing 7 charges & limited 1 of the top bigs in the country to only 7 points"
— SLCC Athletics (@BruinAthletics) March 19, 2016
Salt Lake dominated in nearly every category. The Bruins shot 45.5 percent from the field, outrebounded the Pronghorns 48-33 and logged 10 more assists. SLCC also scored 19 points off 18 Pronghorn turnovers.
Bruin guard Conner Toolson led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Sophomore forward Tyler Rawson posted a double-double, scoring 17 points with 11 rebounds. Gibson Johnson added 14 points and eight rebounds.
Marqueese Grayson led the Gillette offense with 13 points. No other Pronghorn player reached double digits.
SLCC now has an eight-game winning streak that includes a Region 18 Championship and a District 1 Championship, which gave the Bruins the No. 13 seed in the NJCAA National Tournament.
The Bruins play No. 7 seed Hutchinson Community College for the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday at 6 p.m. MDT. Bruin fans can watch all of the action on NJCAA-TV.
The @NJCAA DI MBB Championship Game is set!
Salt Lake (@BruinAthletics) vs. Hutchinson (@bluedragonsport) pic.twitter.com/lUHugvpKmC— NJCAA (@NJCAA) March 19, 2016
