Box Score TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (March 10, 2018) - The Salt Lake Community College Bruins men's basketball program is headed back to Hutchinson.

The Bruins are headed back to the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time since winning the NJCAA national title in 2016, thanks to an 89-86 victory over Arizona Western College in the District One Championship game. Salt Lake will gain the District's automatic bid into the national tourney, with the program seeking its third national championship.

Salt Lake held a 48-35 halftime lead, eventually holding on to the lead after Arizona Western outscored the Bruins 51-41 in the second half. Salt Lake's aggression on the floor helped the Bruins to a significant advantage in free throws, with SLCC holding making 29-of-39 compared to Arizona Western's 16-of-27. 

The Bruins held the lead for most of the game, leading by as many as 14 points shortly after the start of the second half. From there, Arizona Western whittled the lead down to a 66-66 tie with 8:19 left in the game. However, Salt Lake never relinquished the lead, eventually powering to the victory.

Christian Gray helped lead SLCC to the national tourney berth, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-14. Salt Lake's Bushmen Ebet finished with 17 points while Josh Colon had 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

SLCC will learn its first-round opponent on Monday during the NJCAA #SelectionMonday Show. The NJCAA National Tournament begins in Hutchinson, Kansas on Mar. 19.