Baker and Alexander combine for 52 points as Aztecs Men's Basketball topples Mesa CC

The Pima Community College men's basketball (8-0, 3-0 in ACCAC) stayed unbeaten on Saturday after beating Mesa Community College (3-4, 1-2) in its first ACCAC conference road test of the season.

• The No. 15 ranked Aztecs used a pair of runs in the first and second half to beat the Thunderbirds 109-88. The Aztecs have scored in double digits in all eight games this season.
• Up 26-21 and coming out of a timeout with 8:21 left in the half, sophomore Dillan Baker (Salpointe Catholic HS) scored five quick points, which sparked a 12-0 run. Baker capped off the run with a three-pointer to make it 38-21. Mesa countered with a 9-2 run of their own to put the score at 40-30 but the Aztecs held a 49-34 advantage at the break.
• The Thunderbirds were looking to make another run as they cut Pima's lead to single digits at 62-53 with 15:00 left but the Aztecs put together another 12-0 run that was capped by freshman Moses Demalek's three-point play to make it 74-53. The Aztecs led by as much as 29 points after freshman Cooper Jones' (Buena HS) three-pointer made it 107-78 with 2:00 minutes left.
• Baker finished with a game-high 29 points on 11 for 25 shooting. He also had five rebounds.
• Sophomore Jaylen Alexander finished with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. He went 10 for 11 from the field and also had two assists, three steals and one block.
• Freshman Jackson Leyba (Deer Valley HS) also provided a spark off the bench as he went 4 for 4 shooting with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The Aztecs scored 52 points off the bench.
• Demalek closed out the game with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists as he went 6 for 10 from the floor. Freshman Cohenj Gonzales (Mesquite HS) had seven assists.
• The Aztecs controlled the glass as they outrebounded the Thunderbirds 49-28 and grabbed 22 offensive boards.

The Aztecs face a tough road test on Wednesday when they play at Chandler-Gilbert Community College (8-1, 3-1). Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.

PCC   49   60   109
MCC  34   54    88