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Jordan Pratt(#20) finished with 15 points and six rebounds in the win over Cochise College Wednesday night
Jordan Pratt(#20) finished with 15 points and six rebounds in the win over Cochise College Wednesday night
Jordan Pratt(#20) finished with 15 points and six rebounds in the win over Cochise College Wednesday night

Thunderbirds trade blows with Apaches in close win, 92-86

Mesa, AZ--In their first home game of the 2015-2016 season, the Mesa Community College men's basketball team (2-1, 1-0 ACCAC) defeated the Cochise College Apaches (5-1, 0-1 ACCAC) by a score of 92-86 in an Arizona Community College Athletic Conference match-up at Theo Heap Gym on Wednesday night.  

The Thunderbirds started the game off strong with a couple of layups from sophomore Kyle Bingham and an 11-1 scoring run.  

Cochise then responded with six consecutive points each from sophomores Jeffrey Long and Justin Jones to make it 13-13 before freshman Trevor Johnson rattled in five points of his own for Mesa.
The game then saw three lead changes that included a couple of baskets each from Mesa's Bingham and freshman Obi Megwa until the Apaches took their biggest lead of the night at 37-31.  

With a layup, three-pointer and a tip in contributing to seven-straight points from Mesa's sophomore Jordan Pratt, the Thunderbirds took a 39-38 lead with just under two minutes to go in the first half. Cochise took the lead again on back-to-back buckets from sophomore Jaben Garrett where they led Mesa at halftime, 44-43.  

Coming out of the half, Mesa took a 50-49 lead on three consecutive field goals from sophomore Mitch Burnett, until freshman Chaz Mack buried a pair of free throws to give the Apaches a one-point lead.  

Mesa would then go on a 12-4 run behind a two big layups and free throws from Megwa, and would actually hold onto the lead until a layup from Cochise's freshman Dallas Polk-Hilliard tied the game at 71-71 with 8:54 remaining in the game.  

With the game tied once again at 75-75, Jones made a huge three-point basket for the Apaches to take the lead, until Mesa's freshman Edward Hardt nailed a jumper, Bingham connected on four critical free throws and Pratt buried a three to give the Thunderbirds an 84-80 lead.  

While Cochise was able to cut the deficit to three with 1:51 remaining, key free throws from sophomore Nate Jimerson and Pratt at the end of the game ended any comeback from the Apaches as the Thunderbirds won their first ACCAC match-up of the season, 92-86.  

In a game that saw the lead change on 10 different occasions, Cochise was able to get 17 points each from Jones and Long, while a couple of 15 point performances from Megwa and Pratt led the way for Mesa.  

The Thunderbirds will next be in action this Saturday at 4:00 p.m. MT when they travel to Scottsdale and look to stay undefeated in the ACCAC as they take on the Fighting Artichokes of Scottsdale Community College.