Mesa Basketball hosts Glendale in conference action on Saturday
Friday February 16, 2024 - 8:00 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger
Mesa Basketball welcomes Glendale Community College into Theo Heap Gymnasium on Saturday for ACCAC contests.
Women's Basketball:
The No. 4 Lady T-Birds are coming off of their first loss since Jan. 3 on Saturday as they fell to No. 14 Pima, 69-62, MCC had been on a historic 11 game winning streak before they fell to the Aztecs. Mesa struggled from deep in the loss, going 5-24 (23.8%) from beyond the arc. MCC trailed for most of the contest and made a push late but Pima came up with stops at the end to knock off the T-Birds.
Glendale comes into play with a 7-15 record (3-13 ACCAC) as they need to make a push to have a chance to sneak into the postseason. The Gauchos are 1-4 in their last five but are coming off a 87-66 win against South Mountain as they snapped a six game losing streak with the victory.
This will be the third and final game between the two teams. Mesa has won both contests previously as they took home an 88-67 win on Dec. 6, and an 84-27 victory on Jan. 24.
Men's Basketball:
The Thunderbirds enter play on Saturday with a 7-16 record (5-12 ACCAC) after their 75-99 defeat at the hands of No. 15 Pima on Wednesday. Mesa shot very well from deep in the loss as they went 16-36 (44.4%) from distance.
The Gauchos come into Theo Heap Gymnasium winners of just one of their last five games as they hold a 11-13 record (6-13 ACCAC). Glendale is coming off a week's break as their last game was on Feb. 10, a 92-89 thrilling victory over Phoenix College.
This will be the third and final game of the regular season between these two clubs. Both teams have been victorious one time over the other as Mesa won in overtime back on Dec. 6, 87-84 and the Gauchos got their victory on Jan. 26, 72-70.
This game will be vitally important for both teams as they hope to wrap up a postseason spot. If the Gauchos win they will not only hold a two game lead over MCC in the standings but will also control the tiebreaker making it even more difficult for the T-Birds to sneak into the playoffs.
If Mesa wins on Saturday the ACCAC DII playoff standings will become even more interesting as MCC will be tied with Glendale record wise and will hold the tiebreaker catapulting them into the final playoff position with six conference wins as they will have just four regular season games left.
There will be halftime entertainment during both games as during the women's game a local step team will perform and during halftime of the men's game Beehive Dance Studio will take center court.
The women's game will tip-off at 2:00 p.m. and the men will follow at 4:00 p.m. Admission is free to both games with the donation of a non-perishable food item.
Can't make the game? MCC Athletics has you covered, tune into T-Birds Sports Live to catch all the action!