Preview: North Idaho Cardinal at Salt Lake Bruin Bears

SALT LAKE CITY (Interstat) — Two men’s junior college basketball teams seeking momentum will meet Wednesday when the North Idaho Cardinal visit the Salt Lake Bruin Bears.

Both teams enter the late-season matchup with losing records. North Idaho sits at 10-11 overall, while Salt Lake is 9-14. The game is a quick rematch of a Jan. 22 contest in Coeur d’Alene, which the Cardinal won 74-61. Salt Lake won the prior meeting this season, 81-62 at home on Jan. 8.

The Cardinal have lost three straight, most recently falling 85-69 at Southern Idaho on Feb. 7. In that game, sophomore forward Ajayi Simmons led North Idaho with 17 points in 25 minutes. Simmons has been a key variable for the Cardinal; in their Jan. 22 win over Salt Lake, he contributed 9 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes, but was held to 3 points in a loss at Snow on Jan. 29. His production often correlates with team success.

Salt Lake looks to snap a two-game skid after a 103-76 home loss to Snow on Feb. 5 and a 79-68 defeat to Utah State Eastern on Feb. 7. In the latter, sophomore guard Danny Young Jr. logged 41 minutes and scored a game-high 25 points. Young has been a consistent offensive force for the Bruin Bears, scoring 25 or more points in three of his last six outings, including a 28-point performance in a win over Colorado Northwestern on Jan. 15.

The matchup between Simmons and Young will be pivotal. Both players are coming off high-scoring efforts in their teams’ most recent losses and will be relied upon to carry the offensive load.

For North Idaho, halting their recent slide is critical with four conference games remaining after Wednesday. Salt Lake, meanwhile, aims to defend its home court and even the season series as it looks to climb the standings.

The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. MST tipoff at the Bruin Arena.