TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (January 15, 2019) - After a disappointing start to Scenic West Athletic Conference play, the No. 17 Salt Lake Community College women's basketball team has responded in an appropriate way.

The Bruins, who narrowly fell to Southern Idaho in their league opener, have rattled off two straight victories, including a nail-biting win over in-state rival Snow College on Saturday. On top of the strong start, SLCC forward Lauren Gustin earned weekly honors from the league Monday, thanks to her 40-point performance against the Badgers.

As Salt Lake prepares for another in-state clash inside the Lifetime Activities Center Thursday, Bruins coach Betsy Specketer said there were several teachable moments from the Snow game to prepare her team going forward.

"The Snow College game was just a grind," she said. "I thought we started the game really well, especially on the defensive end, but had trouble sustaining that intensity and had several defensive losses, particularly in the fourth quarter."

SLCC will face a strong task on Thursday, as USU Eastern enters the Wasatch Front with a league record of 2-0. The Eagles defeated CNCC handily to open league play, following the victory up with an impressive 70-62 victory over Southern Idaho. USU Eastern is 14-3 overall, with losses to teams like Western Wyoming and the Southern Utah All-Stars.

Specketer said that USU Eastern will provide another strong test for her team.

"USU Eastern will be just as tough (as Snow College)," she said. "They're a really good offensive team and will run a lot of different sets at us. We're going to have to be dialed in defensively for a full 40 minutes to get the win."

Turning attention to the Scenic West, USU Eastern sits in the lead at 2-0, while Salt Lake and Southern Idaho sit a half-game back at 2-1. Both Snow College and Colorado Northwestern are 0-2 in league play. 

The Bruins and Eagles will battle at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday inside the Lifetime Activities Center. Salt Lake will not play Saturday, with a scheduled return to the court on Jan. 24 against Colorado Northwestern.