TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (January 29, 2019) - The last few weeks have been up-and-down for the Salt Lake Community College men's basketball team.

 A tough offensive showing in Saturday's loss to Snow College has the Bruins refocused and energized entering a critical week of play in the Scenic West Athletic Conference. Salt Lake will face off against USU Eastern on the road Thursday, followed up by a home game against Southern Idaho Saturday.

With the conference schedule about to enter its third round, the Bruins are well aware of the importance of games going forward. Currently, Salt Lake is 3-3 in league play, a game behind Snow's 4-2. Southern Idaho and USU Eastern both sit at 3-2.

Conference standings notwithstanding, SLCC coach Todd Phillips said his team is ready for improvement this week.

"We have to be better on both ends of the floor," said Phillips. "When we get stops, we can get out and run."

Salt Lake has had trouble getting stops throughout league play, surrendering 82.7 points a game - a tally that is good for fourth-place in the league's rankings. The Bruins have surrendered 80 points-or-more to every opponent in league play, with the SWAC's top-scoring offensive in Southern Idaho (102.9 points-per-game) entering the Lifetime Activities Center Saturday.

While other opponents have improved, Phillips said his team is aware they need to improve as well.

"In the second time through the league, everybody is making adjustments," he said. "Our team has to make some adjustments to be better, and I think our guys are accepting that challenge."

Thursday's game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. in Price, while Saturday's game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. start inside the Lifetime Activities Center.