Thunderbirds Fall in 3rd Place Game in Overtime to Salt Lake Bruins, 93-88
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Salt Lake Community College | 41 | 37 | 15 | 93 |
|
Mesa Community College | 34 | 44 | 10 | 88 |
Salt Lake Community College
| Game Statistics | Salt Lake Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-84) | (34-77) |
| Field Goal % | 36.9% | 44.2% |
| Rebounds | 55 | 38 |
| Assists | 19 | 17 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 25 | 15 |
| Pts in the Paint | 38 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 10 |
| Bench Pts | 15 | 44 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Salt Lake Community College | 41 | 37 | 15 | 93 |
|
Mesa Community College | 34 | 44 | 10 | 88 |
Salt Lake Community College
Mesa Community College
| Game Statistics | Salt Lake Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-84) | (34-77) |
| Field Goal % | 36.9% | 44.2% |
| Rebounds | 55 | 38 |
| Assists | 19 | 17 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 12 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 25 | 15 |
| Pts in the Paint | 38 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 10 |
| Bench Pts | 15 | 44 |
Mesa, AZ - Seemingly battling from behind for most of the game, the Mesa Thunderbirds comeback attempt fell short in overtime Saturday afternoon as the Salt Lake Bruins will take home the third place trophy with a 93-88 victory.
Though the T-Birds were able to force extra minutes, Mesa only held one lead in the game and that's when Elijah Moore connected on a three-pointer at the 18:50 mark of the first half. Salt Lake overtook the lead just a minute later though, making it 5-3, and Mesa could only get as close as a tie for the rest of the game.
Overtime games are no stranger to Mesa this season but unfortunaly for the T-Birds, they have dropped all three games, the first by three, the second by four and this afternoon by five.
Mesa had a better field goal percentage than the Bruins on the afternoon, Mesa shooting 44.2 percent (34-77) to just 36.9 (31-81) percent for Salt Lake but it was the Bruins that outrebounded the T-Birds, 55-38, and outscored Mesa on second chance points 25-15.
The T-Birds had six players score in double-figures with Kyle Fischer leading Mesa with 19 points while Elijah Moore scored 16, Isais Pineda scored 11 and Rajhan Billingsley, Nik Nehls and Jok Jok each scored 10 points.
The Thunderbirds will now begin its conference schedule, beginning in Tucson against the Pima Aztecs on Saturday, January 5th with a tip off of 4 pm.