Box Score TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (February 16, 2019) - Everything seemed to be celebratory inside the Lifetime Activities Center Saturday, with the No. 20 Salt Lake Community College women's basketball team bringing an atmosphere of fun to Bruins fans.

After all, the program was celebrating its annual "Sophomore Night", honoring sophomores Miki'ala Maio, Maya Smith, Tyra Carr and Emma Villas-Gomis for their contribution to the program. On top of that indvidual celebration, the entire SLCC team was able to celebrate an impressive victory as the Bruins downed in-state rival Snow College 61-55 to stay tied atop the standings of the Scenic West Athletic Conference. The victory moves Salt Lake's overall record to 22-5 overall and 8-3 in league play.

It was Snow College who took an early edge in the game, keeping a narrow advantage throughout the first half. The Badgers led 33-29 at halftime before Salt Lake seized control in the third quarter, outscoring Snow 17-6 to take a strong lead into the fourth quarter. SLCC then controlled the tempo of the final period, stretching its lead to double-digits with minutes remaining.

Bruins coach Betsy Specketer said the win was a tale of perseverence.

"Snow did a great job of disrupting our offense and making things difficult for us, especially in the first half," she said. "I give our team credit though, we picked up our defensive intensity in the second half and were able to get our transcript game going, which really changed the momentum."

The stats didn't necessarily tell the story of a victory for Salt Lake, with the Bruins shooting just 39 percent (23-of-59) compared to Snow's 50 percent (20-of-40). However, it was SLCC's physicality and ability to get to the free-throw line that made the different as the Bruins made 13-of-17 foul shots while Snow had just 5 attempts. Salt Lake also held a 33-25 rebounding advantage, including an edge of 13-1 on the offensive glass.

Laura Pichot led Salt Lake with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Maio had 14 points in her final game inside the Lifetime Activities Center. Lauren Gustin finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds.

With just one league game remaining, Salt Lake is tied at the top of the league with Snow College. The Badgers will finish the regular season with a home game against the College of Southern Idaho. 

Salt Lake will have a week off before returning to the court for the regular-season finale next Saturday at Colorado Northwestern Community College. The postseason is also upon the Bruins, with the Region 18 tournament beginning the week after at USU Eastern in Price.