The Salt Lake Community College men’s basketball team didn’t have to wait long for the chance to avenge a loss to one of their in-state rivals.
No. 22 SLCC used their size and athleticism to cruise to an 87-79 victory over No. 21 Snow College on Saturday in Bruin Arena.
Since their 83-80 road loss to the Badgers on Jan. 7, the Bruins have rolled off four straight wins, including a home victory over then-No. 15 College of Southern Idaho. The win on Saturday puts SLCC (17-3, 5-1 Scenic West Athletic Conference) in a tie with Snow (17-3, 5-1) at the top of the conference standings.
Freshman forwards Ke’Sean Davis and Christian Gray established their presence early in the game, combining to score 17 of SLCC’s first 20 points.
The tall, athletic Bruins put a lot of defensive pressure on Snow shooters. The Badgers converted just 7 of 27 shots in the first half, including 4 of 15 from 3-point range.
Despite the poor shooting, the Badgers kept the deficit to single digits through most of the first half. After Snow tied the game at 25 with four minutes remaining, SLCC finished the half on a 13-4 run to lead 38-29.
Davis scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Gray added seven points and four rebounds, and point guard Dalven Brushier contributed five points.
SLCC broke the game open early in the second half, going on a 12-2 run to lead 50-31. The Bruins were impressive on the boards with 47 rebounds, capitalizing on multiple long misses by the Badgers.
Davis finished the game with 24 points and eight rebounds. Gray backed up his recent SWAC Player of the Week honors with a stat line of 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals. Brushier finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, and shooting guard Cooper Holt added 12 points and eight rebounds after getting the start.
SLCC will leave the friendly confines of Bruin Arena to play CSI in Twin Falls on Tuesday.
