Arizona Western tops Mesa in NJCAA Game of the Week
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mesa Community College (5-4, 1-4) | 26 | 42 | 68 |
|
Arizona Western College (11-2, 4-1) | 49 | 36 | 85 |
Arizona Western College
| Game Statistics | Mesa Community College | Arizona Western College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-66) | (32-51) |
| Field Goal % | 37.9% | 62.7% |
| Rebounds | 31 | 36 |
| Assists | 10 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 18 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 25 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 0 | 0 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 17 | 34 |
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 - 9:07 pm | Dylan DeVlieger
The men's basketball team lost their second game in a row to Arizona Western Wednesday night, 85-68. The T-Birds record falls to 5-3 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
In the NJCAA Game of the Week broadcasted on ESPN+ the Thunderbirds couldn't get their offense going in the first half as they tied their season low for first half points with 26. They shot just 27.6% from the field and 25% from deep.
Arizona Western shot the ball very well in the first half as they put up 49 points on 72% shooting from the field while hitting 50% of their three point attempts.
Mesa did come out with fight in the second half as they outscored the Matadors 42-36 while improving their shooting from the field as they shot 45.9% from the floor and 33.3% from three.
The Matadors did a good job forcing contact and getting to the free throw line as they shot 27 free throws to Mesa's 17 and made six more than the T-Birds. Mesa's starters were the only players who scored in the first half as their first bench didn't come until the final half.
Overall, AWC shot 62.7% from the field while the Thunderbirds shot just 37.9% from the floor, a difference of 24.8%.
Timmy Johnson led the way for the T-Birds as he had 16 (12 in the second half), followed by Tampa Scott with 15, and Evan Clayton with 12. Taisei Kirahara posted a career high 11 points on 57% shooting from the field.
Mesa will travel for the next game on Saturday afternoon as they take on Glendale.
