CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team shot 50 percent from the field, but it wasn’t enough as Salt Lake Community College buried 18 3-pointers as the Bruins won 107-78 Saturday in the final day of the LCCC Classic.
The Cougars will have little time to relax as they will have Sunday off before back-to-back home contests on Monday and Tuesday against Miles Community College and Eastern Wyoming College in women and men doubleheaders both nights.
When Miles comes to Cougar Palace on Monday for a 7 p.m. contest, the Pioneers come in with a 4-3 record. The Lancers come to WNCC on Tuesday with a 2-7 record after dropping their last two games, falling to Northeastern Junior College 67-64 on Thursday and then 83-81 to Southeast Community College on Saturday.
WNCC and EWC faced each other once this season with the Cougars winning the Highway 26 battle 81-78 in Torrington, Wyoming.
For the Cougar men, they dropped both games this weekend at Cheyenne, falling to No. 15 College of Southern Idaho 99-81.
Saturday’s contest with Salt Lake started well for the Cougars as they jumped to an 11-4 lead on a Melchi Egbeyemi 3-pointer. WNCC led 16-9 later on an Amare Jackson bucket. Salt Lake cut the deficit to 16-14, but the Cougars went up 20-14 after a Kellon Harris bucket.
That is when things changed as Salt Lake scored seven straight points to take their first lead of the game at 21-20 with 10 minutes to play in the opening half. Salt Lake went up by nine, 36-27 after hitting three of four 3-pointers. WNCC fought back to make it a 36-32 game. The Bruins responded with a 9-0 run to lead 45-32. Salt Lake had a 48-35 lead at halftime.
The second half saw Salt Lake open the half on a 10-2 run to lead 58-37. WNCC got the deficit to within 14, 67-52 on a Isaiah St. Preux 3-pointer and a Jackson old-fashioned 3-point play, but Salt Lake responded with a 18-4 run to lead 85-57 and never looked back.
WNCC shot 50 percent from the field and were 7-of-18 from the 3-point arc. The Cougars shot 15-of-21 from the charity stripe. Salt Lake shot 56 percent from the field and made 18-of-31 from the 3-point arc. The Bruins were also 21-of-24 from the charity stripe.
WNCC had three players in double figures. Xavier Kirkpatrick led the way with 18 points followed by Melchi Egbeyemi with 16 and Amare Jackson with 13.

WNCC 35 43 – 78
Salt Lake 48 58 – 107
WNCC
Melchi Egbeyemi 16, Isaiah St. Preux 7, Amare Jackson 13, Nehemiah Jean Charles 6, Toms Linis 2, Xavier Kirkpatrick 18, Kellon Harris 7, Witold Czerenkiewicz 2, Max Orchard 7.