TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (March 7, 2020) – Tickets punched; victory complete; NJCAA West District championship secured.
 
All are apt phrases for the No. 5 Salt Lake Community College men's basketball team to proudly proclaim with the Bruins capturing the NJCAA West District championship, thanks to a blowout 101-73 win over Eastern Arizona College at the Lifetime Activities Center Saturday. The Bruins turned a 42-39 halftime lead into a double-digit victory, bolstering their overall record to 29-4 in the process.
 
SLCC coach Kyle Taylor said the victory was a banner moment for his program.
 
"We played a terrific second half," he said. "We kept defending and we kept running and we finally wore them down. Adam Hess broke the game open with three big three-point shots. It was fun to see us pull away and finish the game."
 
Salt Lake broke away in the second half of the game, thanks to an offensive performance that saw a 60-percent shooting performance and a 10-of-17 performance from three-point range. SLCC ended up outscoring Eastern Arizona by a 59-34 margin in the second half, holding EAC to a 1-of-11 performance from three-point range.
 
Individually, Salt Lake had several standout performances, starting with Asa McCord's double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds. Justice Hill had a team-high 25 points, while BYU commit Spencer Johnson finished with 17 points. Christian Popoola scored 11 points in the win, with James Lee contributing 10 points. 
 
Taylor said there were several highlight performances from his roster in the impressive victory.
 
"Asa McCord's energy was outstanding; he had 12 points and 14 rebounds for an awesome double-double," he said. "Justice Hill was electric with the ball and hit a ton of big shots. Spencer Johnson had an awesome second half. We had five players in double figures and all nine players scored multiple baskets. It was a great team win."
 
Salt Lake will now wait for its opponent and seed in the NJCAA National Tournament, which will be delivered in Monday's NJCAA Selection Show. SLCC coach Kyle Taylor will make an appearance on ABC 4's 'Real Sports Live' Sunday to discuss Salt Lake's District championship victory.