SALT LAKE CITY, UT – The Laramie County Community College men's basketball team fell to the #4 Salt Lake Community College Bruins on Tuesday night 111 to 84 as the Golden Eagles fell for the second time in 2023.

Head Coach DeWayne Saulsberry said the score wasn't indicative of the performance his team showed.

"I was really proud of our guys. It was really a bounce back competitively from opening up against Otero," he said. "You're just playing a team that has the number one player in the country, the number two player in the country, the number eight player in the country, and the number 14 player in the country. I was very proud of the way we made them beat us."

The game was an even affair through the opening 10 minutes and the Golden Eagles even were able to take the early advantage, but down 18-16, the Bruins would trigger a run led by defense to go up 28-20 and seemingly take control.

Laramie County didn't panic, and relied on one of their stronger aspects of their game and used four straight three's from Pedro Ellery and Jordan Reed, including a four-point play, to surge in front. The run would continue until the Golden Eagles had a 38-35 lead.

After trading runs, both teams again settled into a back and forth affair, with a buzzer beating lay up by Salt Lake giving them the 45-44 edge going into the locker rooms.

In the second half, the two sides were even at 50 when the Bruins took charge again with a 19-5 run to build the lead to 69-55 and were in the double bonus from the line with over 11 minutes remaining.

A three by Xavier McCord would put an end to the run, but the Golden Eagles were forced into a timeout after the lead grew to 18 at 76-58.

Out of the timeout, LCCC was able to keep the deficit from growing any larger, but the Bruins settled down and continued to trade small runs with the Golden Eagles until eventually closing the game out 111 to 84.

It was the rebounding game that was the difference with the Bruins out boarding LCCC 47 to 30 and outscored Laramie County 52 to 26 in the paint. That is something Saulsberry said is important to have shown now so they can improve on it by the postseason.

"It's a great mark that I can use as a coach. That I can take to our players and say this is the level we are trying to play at. It's a great mark to see where we are, that we are sniffing but not quite there."

Individually, McCord continued his strong season with another double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Reed was the leading scorer on the night for LCCC with a career high 23 points and added in three assists. Ellery (12), Tristan Starks (11) and Brandon Tchouya (13) also finished in double digits.

"We didn't start (Jordan) tonight because he has been struggling, but that was the way Jordan was supposed to respond to not starting," Saulsberry said. "That showed that he has a lot of heart and I think he's going to have a heck of a second half."

The performance was even one that Saulsberry said can give them a spark moving forward.

"It's hard to say a loss gives you momentum but this one really does. We stood up for 32 minutes of that basketball game. They just had a stretch in the second half where they got out and ran."

The Golden Eagles return to Cheyenne on Saturday for a late addition to the schedule when they host Real Salt Lake Academy at Storey Gymnasium. Opening tip for the game is scheduled for 2:00 pm.