TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (February 6, 2019) - The No. 20 Salt Lake Community College women's basketball team has been through its ups-and-downs throughout the first few segments of Scenic West Athletic Conference play.

The Bruins opened league play with a narrow loss at Southern Idaho, rattling off four-straight victories after that disappointment. Then, on January 26, SLCC suffered a rare double-digit loss at Snow College. However, Salt Lake has responded with flying colors since that loss by earning two victories, including an overtime win over Southern Idaho last Saturday.

Now, on the cusp of hosting USU Eastern this Saturday inside the Lifetime Activities Center, the Bruins are looking ahead to finishing the third round of SWAC play with strength.

"Every game is important going into the final stretch but last weekend's games were two "must wins" for us," said SLCC coach Betsy Specketer. "I thought we responded to the challenge and showed toughness, especially on the defensive end, to get both. We have a full week to rest up and recharge a bit before heading into the final round of conference."

Salt Lake's victory over Southern Idaho boosted them into first place in the league with a mark of 6-2, a half-game ahead of Snow College at 5-2. Southern Idaho's league record is 4-3, while USU Eastern's record is 3-4. With just four games remaining on SLCC's schedule, the need to finish strong is apparent. Seeding scenarios for the Region 18 tourney are already appearing for even this week's game, with Salt Lake guaranteed no worse than the tourney's third seed with a victory over the Eagles.

In two previous matchups this season, SLCC earned a 72-52 win over USU Eastern at home and a 63-53 victory on the road. USU Eastern is also on a two-game losing streak.

Specketer said the seeding scenarios can't concern her players, no matter how interesting they are becoming.

"I like where we sit right now, but realistically, there are four teams that could win this thing," she said. "February is going to be a dog fight, where all four teams battle it out for a SWAC championship and the number one seed going into the tournament."

Salt Lake's game against USU Eastern will be played Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in the Lifetime Activities Center. SLCC's only remaining home game after that day will be "Sophomore Day" on Feb. 16.