TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (Sunday, December 3, 2023) –After five straight games at Bruin Arena, Salt Lake begins a four-game road swing with a trip to Colorado for the Otero Tournament on December 8 and 9. The Bruins will play games against Otero Junior College and Trinidad State Junior College, two teams with a combined 1-21 record this season.
GAME INFORMATION
Salt Lake (7-4, 0-0 SWAC) vs. Otero Rattlers (1-10)
DATE | TIME: Friday, Dec. 8 | 6:30 p.m. MT
LOCATION: La Junta, Colorado
LIVE STATS: Click Here
LIVE STREAM: Click Here
TWITTER: @SLCCBruins
GAME TWO
Salt Lake (7-4, 0-0 SWAC) vs. Trinidad State Trojans (0-11)
DATE | TIME: Saturday, Dec. 9 | Noon MT
LOCATION: La Junta, Colorado
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.
OPENING TIP
The Bruins will play a pair of games in the Otero Tournament, their first road games since beating Pima CC on November 11.
Tournament host Otero welcomes SLCC on Friday, December 8. This will be the first matchup between the two programs since a 71-70 Bruins loss in Taylorsville during the 2011 season. Salt Lake is 1-1 all-time against Otero JC.
On Saturday, Salt Lake plays its seventh neutral site (3-3) game of the year, this time against Trinidad State JC. Earlier this season, SLCC beat Trinidad State 75-53 in the lone matchup between the two schools.
AWARD WINNERS
Heaven Samayoa-Mathis was named the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Week on November 28 after averaging 19 points, five rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game in the Thanksgiving Classic. The sophomore guard helped lead the Bruins to a 1-1 finish in the tournament.
LAST TIME OUT
Salt Lake closed out last week with a 3-0 record. After beating two of the Wyoming directional schools, the Bruins beat a local all-star team in the SLCC December Classic Tournament.
Samayoa-Mathis, playing all 40 minutes for the third time, scored a team-high 16 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and dished out four assists in a 66-56 Bruin win.
Three nights later, Ines Gnahore scored a season-high 22 points off the bench in a Bruin blowout. Gnahore was a perfect 9-for-9 from the field with two threes in the win. The 59-point difference was the largest margin of victory for SLCC since 2021.
The following afternoon, Mia Tarver topped four Bruins in double-figure scoring with 15 points in a 76-42 Salt Lake win that improved them to 7-4.
THE BRUINS
Coach Grayer and company return three players from last season's 22-9 team that lost to CSI in the Region 18 Championship game.
Mia Tarver averaged 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists as a freshman in 29 games. Karina Grayer averaged 3.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists as a freshman in 24 games (18 starts). Bati Assefa averaged 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds as a freshman in 17 games.
Salt Lake's roster boasts six prep athletes out of Utah in Tarver (East), Grayer (Cyprus), Summer Larson (Corner Canyon), Cambree Tensmeyer (Green River), Kaija Glasker (Highland), and Cecilia Olevao (Highland).
SLCC also has an international flair to its roster with players from six different countries. Assefa (Sweden), Funmi Amode (England), Ana Oliviera Dias & Marcella Liete (Brazil), Ines Gnahore & Jeanne Rodriguez (France), Pilar Bernad (Spain), and Laura Di Stefano (Italy).
Heaven Samayoa-Mathis from Sacramento, California rounds out the Bruins 2023-24 roster.
IN THE RANKS
Salt Lake has not been able to crack the NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Rankings. The SWAC is well represented by No. 8 College of Southern Idaho and No. 14 Utah State Eastern.
HEAD COACH MARCILINA GRAYER
Marcilina Grayer is entering her fourth season as the head coach of the Salt Lake Community College Women's Basketball program. She was named as head coach of the Bruins in the spring of 2019, replacing longtime coach Betsy Specketer. She also serves as the Assistant Athletic Director for the department, assisting with eligibility and other administrative functions for the department.
A former SLCC standout she has brought a wealth of experience to the program. Grayer also fulfills the role of Eligibility Coordinator for the department. Grayer is currently a NJCAA Board of Regents member, representing Region 18 and the Scenic West Athletic Conference.
The SLCC alum has already created a notable reputation by coaching with the Bruins, with accomplishments that landed her on the WBCA Thirty-Under-30 in 2018. The list recognizes the top 30 coaches in collegiate women's basketball under 30.
Coach Grayer earned her bachelor's degree in Integrated Studies (Criminal Justice/Psychology) from Dixie State University and also obtained an associate's degree from SLCC. She holds a Masters Degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University - Irvine.
NEXT UP
Salt Lake (7-4) heads to La Junta, Colorado to take part in the Otero Tournament on Friday and Saturday, December 8 and 9. SLCC faces Otero JC on December 8 with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (MT). Find tickets for all Salt Lake Community College home 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
