Robinson and Lieppert each net 23 as Aztecs men's basketball beats Mesa CC

The Pima Community College men's basketball team (16-10, 10-8 in ACCAC) earned its fifth straight win on Wednesday after beating Mesa Community College (15-11, 11-7).

• The Aztecs went on an 11-5 run to end the game as they beat the Thunderbirds 97-87. The Aztecs have pulled into a tie with Glendale Community College for the No. 2 seed with four games remaining in the regular season.
• With the game tied at 80-80 with a little over four minutes left, sophomore Rashad Smith (Hamilton HS) converted on a three-point play. Sophomore Jordan Robinson (Tucson HS) hit a three-pointer to make it 86-80 with 3:11 left. The Thunderbirds scored but sophomore Cole Gerken responded with a three-pointer at the top of the key to make it 89-82 with 1:21 left.
• Smith grabbed the defensive rebound on Mesa's next possession and was fouled. The Aztecs went 8 for 8 from the foul line in the final minute; Smith hit six of the free throws.
• The Aztecs took a 72-65 lead with 10:54 left in the second half but the Thunderbirds went on an 11-3 run to retake the lead at 76-75 with 5:55 left. After a pair of lead changes, Robinson hit another three-pointer to put the Aztecs ahead 80-78 with 4:57 left.
• The Aztecs trailed 50-47 at halftime.
• There were 14 lead changes and 11 ties in the game. The Aztecs went 19 for 22 from the free throw stripe.
• Robinson went 5 for 8 from three-point range and finished with 23 points to go along with eight assists and five rebounds. He was 6 for 6 from the foul line. Freshman Jake Lieppert (Saguaro HS) also scored 23 points as he went 6 for 12 from beyond the arc. He also had nine rebounds.
• Smith dropped 20 points as he finished 9 for 11 from the foul line. He fell short of a triple-double as he added eight rebounds and eight assists.
• Gerken contributed with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He was 3 for 6 from the three-point line.

The Aztecs will return to the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium on Saturday when they host South Mountain Community College at 4:00 p.m.

MCC   50   37   87
PCC    47   50   97