TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (December 26, 2017) - The Salt Lake Community College Bruins spent the last few days reflecting on the wealth of spending time with people and sharing in the warmth of the season. However, now it's time for the Bruins to play it out by spending time with teammates and sharing with the wealth of success on the court with the members of the team.

The Bruins went 11-3 in the first half of the season, with wins over nationally-ranked foes and well-known junior college powers. Salt Lake passed nearly every test, including the loss of one of the program's top scorers in Ashley Scoggin.

Bruins coach Betsy Specketer said the way her team played before the annual holiday break left her encouraged for the remainder of the season.

"I thought we were playing fairly well before the break, especially on the defensive end," she said. "Hopefully we'll be able to pick up right where we left off."

The hardest part of the Bruins' yearly exam starts on Jan. 6, when SLCC travels to open the Scenic West season against USU Eastern. For now though, Salt Lake's focus is on a three-game set in Las Vegas, as the Bruins ring in the new year with the CSN Holiday Tournament.

Salt Lake will play in three games in the tourney, opening with Lake Region State on Dec. 27. The Royals are 10-4, on a six-game winning streak. The school, which is located in Devils Lake, North Dakota, is a member of the Mon-Dak Athletic Conference. SLCC plays Central Arizona on Dec. 28 and faces Treasure Valley Community College on Dec. 29.

Specketer said the tournament will provide a good preparation for league play.

"We'll definitely be challenged, particularly against Central Arizona," she said. "Out goal is to obviously win three games but also use these games as a tune-up for the start of conference play the first week of January."

Salt Lake's next home game will be on Jan. 11, as the Bruins host the College of Southern Idaho in their Scenic West home opener.