Thunderbirds Fall In Season Finale At Scottsdale

Thunderbirds Fall In Season Finale At Scottsdale

Wednesday, February 23, 2022 - 8:40 pm | Derek Diesner

Scottsdale, AZ - The Mesa Thunderbirds saw their 2021-22 season come to a close on Tuesday evening at Scottsdale Community College. The T-Birds dropped their season finale to the Fighting Artichokes 88-86.

With the loss, the Thunderbirds close out the season with an overall record of 5-20 and 3-17 in ACCAC action. With the victory, Scottsdale improves to 17-11 overall and 11-9 in ACCAC play. Scottsdale will be the #1 seed in the ACCAC DII Men's Basketball tournament. The Fighting Artichokes will host Pima next Tuesday in a semifinal game.

The first half was all Artichokes, as the home team took a 49-38 lead into halftime.

Mesa's offense came to life in the second half, as they outscored the Fighting Artichokes 48-39. The T-Birds had a chance to force OT in the final seconds but came up short. 

The Thunderbirds had one of their better shooting performances on the season Tuesday evening, finishing 52% from the field and 42% from beyond the three-point arc. Mesa also shot 12-of-14 from the free-throw line.

In the loss, four out of the five T-Bird starters finished in double-figure scoring. Quincy Reece led the way with a game-high 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field. Tampa Scott IV also added 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Tuesday's game marked the final game for sophomore BJ Burries in a Thunderbird uniform. Burries finished with 15 points, five assists, a game-high four steals, and two rebounds.

Don't forget to check out the MCC Team Shop, as well as our Booster Club.