TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (Monday, December 11, 2023) – Less than two weeks after Salt Lake escaped Laramie with a 113-112 overtime win, the Bruins will host Laramie County Community College at Bruin Arena on Tuesday, December 12. It will be the final home game of 2023 for the Bruins and the last game until December 28.
Reigning SWAC POTW CJ Luster leads four Bruins in double-figure scoring with 15.6 points per game. Xavier Edmonds adds 14.4 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Battle is producing across the board, checking in at 13.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and a team-high 1.8 steals per game. Bryce Zephir averages 12.3 points per game while redshirt freshman Zaon Collins chips in more than six points and a team-leading 5.5 assists per game.
GAME INFORMATION
Salt Lake (12-0, 0-0 SWAC) vs. Laramie County CC (9-5)
DATE | TIME: Tuesday, Dec. 12 | 5 p.m. MT
LOCATION: Taylorsville, Utah
LIVE STATS: Click Here
LIVE STREAM: Click Here
TWITTER: @SLCCBruins
HOW TO TUNE IN
Fans can watch all Salt Lake Community College Athletics events at the ScenicWestNetwork.com/slcc. Listen to Bruins play-by-play analyst Brian Preece. Live stats are on SLCCBruins.com.
AWARD WINNERS
CJ Luster was named the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Week from November 26-December 2. Luster averaged 23.5 points, seven boards, and 3.5 steals per game in the two wins while shooting 43 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep in wins over Laramie County CC and Yavapai College. For the season, the 6'4 guard out of Denton, Texas leads SLCC with 16.3 points per game on 46 percent shooting and 42.7 percent from beyond the three-point line.
ALL-TIME, LAST TIME
The Bruins are 4-0 all-time against Laramie County CC. Last season, Salt Lake dominated the Golden Eagles, winning 111-84 at Bruin Arena.
Earlier this year, Jordan Battle beat the buzzer in regulation with a game-tying lay-in that forced overtime. A young Bruins team overcame mistakes in the extra session, moving to 9-0 with the 113-112 overtime win. It was their first and only overtime contest so far this season.
CJ Luster's 25-point, ten-rebound double-double led three Bruins with over 20 points. Xavier Edmonds and Bryce Zephir each scored 20 points. Edmonds added nine boards while Zephir chipped in a team-high six assists.
Salt Lake shot 50 percent as a team but allowed the Golden Eagles to hit a season-high 51.4 percent of their shots.
LAST GAME RECAP
Less than 18 hours after a win against Trinidad State, Michael Folarin came off the bench to spearhead the Bruins attack. In his first year with SLCC after spending last season with the Nevada Wolf Pack, Folarin made 8-of-9 shots for a team-high 18 points. The 18 points equaled his season-high coming against Laramie County on November 29.
Redshirt sophomore guard Bryce Zephir added 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Battle (12 points) was held below his season average of 14.4. Battle added eight assists, four boards, and two steals. Mason Bendinger (12 points) and Xavier Edmonds (10 points) also scored double-figures for a deep Bruins team.
THE BRUINS
Head coach Kyle Taylor and company have been integrating an entirely new team from last season's 29-5 squad that came up short at Hutch.
Former Utah Valley Wolverine Jordan Battle leads a team that includes six prep athletes out of Utah. Brady Smith (Green Canyon), Coen Collier (Olympus), Kevin Winsor (Lehi), Preston Squire (Layton), Mason Bendinger (Woods Cross), and Chudi Anosike (Murray), round out the Bruins local talent.
Five Bruins, including Battle, entered the season with previous college experience. Michael Folarin (Nevada), Lukas Gudavicius (Bethune Cookman), CJ Luster (Kilgore College), and Bryce Zephir (North Texas).
IN THE RANKS
Salt Lake jumped up a spot in the NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Rankings second. The Bruins are joined in the top 25 by SWAC opponent No. 5 Snow College.
HEAD COACH KYLE TAYLOR
In just four seasons, Taylor has posted an overall record of 113-16, earning four consecutive trips to the NJCAA Championships in Hutchinson, Kan. SLCC has earned three Region 18 titles in Taylor's tenure, also posting a trio of NJCAA Western District titles. The Bruins have led the NJCAA in scoring in each of the past two seasons.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
The Golden Eagles are looking to extend their two-game winning streak after wins over Otero JC and Northeastern JC last week.
Scoring 88.8 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting and 31.1 percent from three, Laramie County limits opponents to 83.7 ppg on 44.6 percent shooting and 32.2 percent from deep.
Three Golden Eagles average better than ten points per game, led by Jordan Reed (18.2 points) and Brandon Tchouya (17.1 points). Davion Butler rounds out the group with 13.4 points per game.
NEXT UP
The Bruins take a 15-day holiday break before traveling to Tucson, Arizona for a trio of games December 28-30 in the Aztec Classic. SLCC opens the Classic on Thursday, Dec. 28 against McLennan Community College at 1:30 p.m. (MT). Salt Lake also faces Bismarck State College and Cochise College in its final tuneups before beginning SWAC play on January 10. Find tickets for all Salt Lake Community College events here.
FOLLOW THE BRUINS!
Fans can follow along during the 2023-24 season on social media (Twitter: @slccbruins | Instagram: @slccbruins |Facebook: www.facebook.com/bruin.athletics
