Thatcher, Arizona- Salt Lake had the defending champs of Eastern Arizona on upset alert all game. But the No. 1 Gila Monsters held off the Bruins and won 56-54.
The game was tied 48-48 with 3:55 to go, but Eastern Arizona stayed a step ahead of Salt Lake the rest of the way. The season opener consisted of seven ties and six lead changes.
PG Summer Christensen led Salt Lake in the loss with 20 points. Joss Baker shot 4-7 from deep and finished with 18 points for the Bruins. Christensen led Salt Lake with 6 rebounds and added 3 assists. Emma Atchley also dished out 3 assists for Salt Lake.
The stats were almost identical and both teams shot below 40% from the field. Salt Lake shot 9-15 on free throws and Eastern Arizona shot worse at the line going 4-11. The Bruins stayed tough and only committed six fouls in the game.
Up Next
Salt Lake will stay in Thatcher, AZ for the Aztec Classic and play Cochise College on November 7th at 3:00 pm.
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