Mesa, AZ – No. 8 Indian Hills Men's Basketball's upset bid against No. 1 ranked Salt Lake Community College (UT) came up just short Tuesday night at the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout. The Warriors fell to the Bruins 76-73 at Theo Heap Gymnasium.

A double-digit first half lead disappeared early in the second half, but the Warriors maintained the scoring edge for a stretch of nearly 36 minutes. Salt Lake's bucket with 2:22 to play in the game was its first lead since the 18:09 mark of the first. The two sides traded possessions in the closing minutes of the top-10 battle, but it was the Bruins that prevailed to advance to the Fiesta Bowl championship game on Wednesday night.

After Tuesday's loss, the Warriors will play in the third place game at 7:00 PM CST / 6:00 PM MST Wednesday night against tournament host Mesa Community College (AZ). The Thunderbirds defeated Midland College (TX) on the opening night and fell to No. 15 Snow College (UT) on Tuesday to set the stage with the Warriors.

10 different Warriors reached the scoring column while five individuals went for double-figures on Tuesday. Freshman Eddiean Tirado (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Miami Triple Threat) led the way with a team-high 12 points, including 10 in the first half. Braxton Bayless (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny), J'Vonne Hadley (St. Paul, MN/Northeastern), and Enoch Kalambay (Gatineau, Canada/Orangeville Prep) each added 11 while Davin Zeigler (Cleveland, OH/Bowling Green) chipped in 10.

As a team, the Warriors limited the Bruins to 35.0 percent shooting and just 11.1 percent from three-point range. Indian Hills controlled the paint with a 36-26 edge and a 42-36 rebounding advantage on the night.

In a highly-touted matchup of the top-two ranked teams from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, the Warriors pulled away midway through the first half after a three from Tirado gave Indian Hills a 24-12 lead. The Warriors' largest lead of the night came at the 6:59 mark of the first half as Bayless connected on a pair of free throws for a 32-19 lead. After a rally from Salt Lake to tie the game at 35, Tirado tallied five points in the final 1:18 to regain the lead and give Indian Hills a 42-37 halftime lead.

Indian Hills controlled the second half early on as Salt Lake stayed within striking distance. A pair of consecutive baskets from Kalambay gave Indian Hills a 56-51 lead with under 13 to play in the game. The Warriors upped its lead to as many as nine, but the Bruins chipped away to tie the game at 69 at the 3:04 mark. Salt Lake outperformed the Warriors at the free throw line in the closing minutes to come out on top in the heavyweight tilt.

Wednesday night's contest with Mesa can be seen via GoHillsTV.