No. 6 Women's Basketball takes on No. 11 SAU Tech in first round of NJCAA National Championship on Monday
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Southern Arkansas University Tech (20-2) | 14 | 15 | 11 | 18 | 58 |
|
Mesa Community College (26-6) | 15 | 11 | 25 | 14 | 65 |
Southern Arkansas University Tech
| Game Statistics | Southern Arkansas University Tech | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-57) | (25-45) |
| Field Goal % | 40.4% | 55.6% |
| Rebounds | 23 | 34 |
| Assists | 6 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 21 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 21 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 6 | 11 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 12 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 21 | 7 |
Sunday March 16, 2024 - 6:30 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger
MCC Women's Basketball will take the floor on Monday night as the No. 6 seed in the 2024 NJCAA DII Women's Basketball Championship in Joplin, MO.
The Lady T-Birds earned the right to play in the 20 team tournament after they took down Scottsdale Community College in the Region I DII Finals on March 9.
Mesa will play No. 11 seed Southern Arkansas University Tech after they won the Region II Finals and the District Championship. SAU Tech is coming off a 20-1 overall record with their only loss of the year back on Nov. 7 at the hands of Wabash Valley.
The Rockets are led by a trio of skilled guards who each average 12 or more points a game.
Head coach Kori Stephenson and company know the task at hand, containing Carson Defries, Jaida Minter, and Laila Minter will be critical for Mesa to come away with a round one victory.
"They have three really good guards, we have to be able to stay in front of them otherwise they end up splitting you and get easy passes into the post," said Stephenson.
SAU Tech is one of the most efficient offenses in the nation, averaging 79.3 points per game (11th in country), while shooting 48% from the field (2nd best in country).
If any team in the tournament is able to shut down the Rockets, Mesa would be one of the teams to do it. MCC allowed just 49.9 points per game to opponents (5th lowest in the country).
For most of the Lady T-Birds this will be the first time at the NJCAA's big dance. For Stephenson, keeping her team in their routine will be critical to help them stay in the same mindset they've been in all year, allowing them to stay in control and not get too amped up with all the extra eyes on them.
"Routine, I think our staff does a good job of keeping everything routine. We'll keep our shootarounds at the same time and we'll do this and that at the same time, we've given them a lot of information before going to know what to expect so they can visualize it," said Stephenson.
Mesa will see a familiar face at the tournament as ACCAC rival Pima Community College secured one of the four at-large bids and captured the No. 13 seed. This is the first time both the Aztecs and Thunderbirds have been at the NJCAA tournament at the same time.
The Lady T-Birds will play at 6 p.m. local time at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in Joplin, MO. If Mesa wins they will take on the winner of the No. 3 Rock Valley (IL) vs. No. 14 Mid Michigan / No. 19 Bryant & Stratton (VA) matchup on Wednesday at 6pm.
If Mesa loses on Monday they will play they loser of that matchup on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
Click here to view live stats of the game.
