Aztecs Women's Basketball Claim Region I, Division II Title

The Pima Community College women's basketball team (25-7) captured the Region I, Division II championship on Saturday at the West Campus.

The No. 1 seeded Aztecs defeated No. 2 Mesa Community College 78-54 snapping their three game losing streak to the Thunderbirds in the Region I, Division II title game. This is Pima's first region championship since 2011.

Up 13-10 in the first quarter, freshman Sydni Stallworth (Palo Verde HS) hit back-to-back three-pointers. The run carried into the second quarter as the Aztecs took a double digit lead after going on a 13-2 run in almost seven minutes to take a 26-12 advantage. The Thunderbirds cut the lead to seven points on two occasions but that's as close as they'd get as Pima led 34-24 at the break.

The Aztecs opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run and Stallworth drained another three-pointer to cap a 12-3 run to put Pima up 46-27. They sealed it with another 13-2 run in the fourth quarter to take a 68-40 lead. The Aztecs led by as much as 30 points at 75-45.

The Aztecs dominated the glass as they outrebounded Mesa 61-34 for the game. They also had a clear advantage on the offensive glass at 29-12.

Stallworth scored a game-high 23 points as she went 5-for-8 from three-point range. She also had 10 rebounds (six offensive boards), three steals and two assists.

Sophomore Shalise Fernander (Flowing Wells HS) scored 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting. She also grabbed six offensive rebounds and was named the Region I, Division II championship gamer MVP. Sophomore Taylor Blue (Peoria HS) also had a double-double as she contributed with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Aztecs advance to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Overland Park, KS on Mar. 15-19. The brackets will be released on Tuesday.

MCC       10       14       14       16       54
PCC        19       15       21       23       78

Pima Women's Basketball Region I, Division II Champions/Photo by Raymond Suarez