Box Score TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (January 11, 2018) - The Salt Lake Community College Bruins have faced adversity throughout the season, which has prepared them for the always tough Scenic West Athletic Conference.

The adversity Salt Lake has faced has allowed them to overcome challenges like Saturday's overtime road win over USU Eastern to open league play, along with countless other moments in the preseason. In their league home opener Thursday, the Bruins had another such moment, leading 32-31 at halftime over the College of Southern Idaho. How did the Bruins respond? Only by outscoring the Golden Eagles by 19 in the second half, as SLCC powered to an 84-64 win to move to 2-0 in Scenic West play.

The game's early parts featured a back-and-forth that was both furious and frustrating, with both teams trading baskets and miscues with CSI leading until near the end of the period. However, the Bruins powered back to start the second half on a 7-0 run, giving them a 38-31 lead after just 90 seconds of the second half, when Christian Gray scored on a Dalven Brushier assist.

"It was a great win for us," SLCC coach Todd Phillips said. "A team win; our bench was great and we executed the game plan. We made them take tough 3's and kept them off the boards."

SLCC's defense played a big role in the impressive Bruins win, as Salt Lake forced 24 turnovers on 14 steals. Additionally, Salt Lake held a 28-11 advantage in points-in-the-paint and finished with 26 offensive rebounds.

Southern Idaho's final lead came with 4:42 remaining in the first half, as they took a 21-20 lead. The Golden Eagles would never lead from that point on, with Salt Lake stretching the lead to as much as 21 points late in the game.

Bruins guard Alec Monson led Salt Lake with 14 points, while Gray contributed 13 points and Brushier 12 points. Matt Lindsey scored 10 points off the bench, converting on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting. 

"We moved the ball against a zone and it inside for easy baskets," said Phillips, commenting on the team's offensive breakout. 

Salt Lake sits alone atop the Scenic West at 2-0, while CSI and USU Eastern are tied at 1-1. 

The Bruins travel Saturday to play in-state rival Snow College, with a scheduled tip of 5:00 p.m. Salt Lake will host Colorado Northwestern on Thursday, Jan. 18 at the Taylorsville Campus's Bruin Arena.