#1 Salt Lake CC Opens With Big Win Over #24 Northeastern JC
Content from Salt Lake CC sports information
TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (November 5, 2021) – The No. 1 Salt Lake Community College Men’s Basketball program wasted little time showing why it had so much preseason acclaim.
The Bruins, hosting its annual ‘SLCC Tournament’ to open the season, earned a 100-77 win over No. 24 Northeastern Junior College (Sterling, CO). The victory lifts the Bruins to 1-0 on the season. The Plainsmen fall to 0-2.
Defense was dominant for Salt Lake in the first half, with SLCC holding Northeastern to just 36 percent shooting (9-of-25) and 0-of-9 from three-point range. In contrast, the Bruins made 5-of-9 three-point shots in the first half, taking a dominant 52-34 lead at the break. Another telling statistic was turnovers, as Salt Lake scored 41 points off 34 NJC turnovers.
“We were relentless tonight on the defensive end from start to finish,” said Bruins coach Kyle Taylor. “That was the key to our game, constant pressure on the ball. We did a great job moving our feet, rotating and getting steals.”
Jackson Last (6’5″ Fr. Wing, Hurricane, UT) had a strong performance to lead SLCC, scoring a game-high 32 points. Nicknamed, the “Shot Doctor,” Jackson connected on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Quincy McGriff (6’6″ Fr. Guard, Los Angeles, CA) scored 16 points, while Festus Ndumanya (6’7″ So Forward, Anambra, Nigeria) posted 11.
“Jackson was phenomenal shooting the basketball tonight,” said Taylor. “Doctor Bradley had 10 rebounds and Chase Adams had 8 steals. It was a total team effort.” Taylor added. Bradley, the 6’8 So Forward, who hails from Gardenia, CA, transferred to the Bruins from Cal State-Fullerton, where he averaged 5.3 ppg and 3 rpg last season.
Chase Adams, a 5’8″ So Guard from Chicago, IL, is another one of the talented transfers to join the Bruins. Playing 32 games as a freshman for Portland in 2019-20, Chase led the WCC in steals (2/g), and was 8th in assists (3.7/g). In addition, Adams put up 7 points and 3 rebounds per contest.
Salt Lake will face off against Jump Start at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be played inside the Lifetime Activities Center.