Box Score TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (March 19, 2022) – No matter how fun the ride is, the ending will always be bittersweet when it doesn't end in victory.
The No. 1 Salt Lake Community College Men's Basketball team will unfortunately experience that feeling in the coming days, with a historic season for SLCC ending in an 83-67 loss in the NJCAA Division-I Men's Basketball Championship final to No. 10 Northwest Florida State. The battle of perennial NJCAA contenders ended SLCC's season with a final mark of 35-2.
Salt Lake struggled offensively throughout the first half, with the Bruins shooting just 25 percent in the half (6-of-24) and going 1-of-8 from three-point range. The Bruins trailed 41-15 at the halftime break. SLCC played better throughout the second half, shooting 55.9 percent, but the damage was done. Northwest Florida State outrebounded SLCC, 42-27.
Jaquan Scott posted 11 points to lead the Bruins, while
Chase Adams finished with 10 points.
Jordan Brinson had 9 points and
Jackson Last scored 8 points.
The championship game loss was just the fourth appearance in the NJCAA final for Salt Lake, with the Bruins now holding a 2-2 mark in NJCAA championship games. Only three coaches have taken the Bruins to an NJCAA final (Norm Parrish, Todd Phillips,
Kyle Taylor).
Salt Lake closes the season with plenty of hardware, earning a Scenic West Athletic Conference regular season title, a Region 18 tournament championship, and an NJCAA West District title.