T-Birds' defense smothers Glendale, 72-48
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Glendale Community College (5-6, 1-4) | 16 | 32 | 48 |
|
Mesa Community College (4-3, 3-2) | 27 | 45 | 72 |
Glendale Community College
| Game Statistics | Glendale Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (15-47) | (25-49) |
| Field Goal % | 31.9% | 51.0% |
| Rebounds | 21 | 35 |
| Assists | 9 | 17 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 19 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 25 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 6 | 9 |
| Pts in the Paint | 14 | 28 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 21 | 10 |
MESA, AZ - A smothering defense and some timely shooting helped Mesa end a brief, two-game, losing streak as the T-Birds swamped Glendale, 72-48, Saturday afternoon at The Heap Gym.
The MCC defense limited the Gauchos to just four baskets in the first half and .182 shooting from the floor as Mesa built a 27-16 advantage.
The win improves the T-Birds to 4-3 on the season with a 3-2 ACCAC mark. Glendale is now 5-6 and 1-4 in conference play.
Mesa came out looking as though it was going to put a quick end to the contest, hitting four of its first five three-point shots and building a 14-2 lead in the first six and a half minutes. Charles Wardell (So., Milwaukee, Wisc/Northwest Secondary H.S.), Khari Holloway (So., Jackson, Miss/Mountain Pointe (AZ) H.S.) and Mitch Burnett (Fr., Phoenix, AZ/Central H.S.) connected on MCC's first three shots, all three-pointers and Wardell added another at the 14:57 mark. When Nate Jimerson (Fr., Bullhead City, AZ/Mohave H.S.) scored on a put-back Mesa had a 14-2 lead and seemed on its way to an easy win.
That's when the wheels came off, briefly. The Thunderbirds then went six and a half minutes without scoring and saw GCC tie the score at 14 on a free throw by Tyler Bell. The Gauchos even took a 16-15 lead on a pair of free throws by Tanner Waldrip with 6:42 left in the half, but the T-Bird defense put a stop to the GCC rally, blanking the Gauchos for the rest of the half while Mesa put up 12 more points to leave the floor with a 27-16 lead.
A 13-2 run by MCC to start the second half put Mesa up, 40-20 and Glendale never threatened again. Gianni Dailey (So., Phoenix, AZ/St. Mary's H.S.) hit the first four points and Kyle Bingham (Fr., Mesa, AZ/Mountain Pointe H.S.) also scored four.
The T-Birds eventually extended their lead to as many as 33 points, 70-37, before settling for the 24-point win.
Mesa had another good shooting night, going 25-49 (.510) and made nine of 16 three-pointers..
The T-Birds put five players in double figures led by Bingham with a season-high 17. Holloway added 12 and Dailey, Wardell and Burnett all scored 11, also season-highs for Dailey and Wardell.
MCC also owned the boards with a 35-21 advantage. Jimerson and Dailey had seven apiece.
Mesa visits South Mountain Wednesday in a 7:30 p.m. contest.
