Late rally lifts Mesa men to 85-79 OT win over Pima
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pima Community College (8-3, 4-3) | 37 | 33 | 9 | 79 |
|
Mesa Community College (6-3, 5-2) | 43 | 27 | 15 | 85 |
Pima Community College
| Game Statistics | Pima Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (28-61) | (32-68) |
| Field Goal % | 45.9% | 47.1% |
| Rebounds | 27 | 35 |
| Assists | 15 | 18 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 20 | 21 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 9 | 14 |
| Pts in the Paint | 32 | 26 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 4 | 21 |
MESA, AZ - Unable to hold a 17-point first half lead, the Mesa men (6-3, 5-2) found themselves down by five with a minute and a half left. Then Khari Holloway (So., Jackson, Miss/Mountain Pointe (AZ) H.S.) took over, helping to send MCC into overtime, and the T-Birds came away with an 85-79 win over Pima (8-3, 4-3) Saturday at The Heap Gym.
The Thunderbirds appeared to be on the way to an easy win, but foul trouble, and some timely PCC three-point shooting, helped the Aztecs to overcome a six-point halftime deficit and take the late lead.
Mesa used a 30-9 run to turn a 13-9 deficit into a 39-22 lead with 3:49 left in the half, seemingly putting them in control.
But the T-Birds were finding themselves in dire foul trouble. Holloway, center Kyle Bingham (Fr., Mesa, AZ/Mountain View H.S.) and even Bingham's back-up Sam Hainline (Fr., Laramie, Wyo/Laramie H.S.) all found themselves with three fouls at the break as Pima attempted 14 free throws to MCC's four in the first 20 minutes. By the end of regulation the free throw attempt gap was 20-6.
Bingham went to the bench with his fourth foul just 35 seconds into the second half and Hainline followed at the 17:34 mark.
PCC continued its comeback and regained the lead, 50-49, on a layup by DeVaunte Paschal. The lead see-sawed four more times until Ben Cervantes connected on a three-pointer at the 5:20 mark to put the Aztecs back in front, 65-63. It was the third straight three by Pima in a span of barely more than a minute. Otherwise, PCC hit just six of 25 three-point attempts.
With Mesa trailing, 68-63, Holloway took charge.
First he hit a jumper at the 1:53 mark, which was quickly answered by Dorian Page leaving MCC down 70-65 with 1:33 to play.
Twelve seconds later Holloway countered with another jumper to cut the deficit to 70-67. Then, with 11 seconds left, he canned an off-balance three off the glass to second the game into overtime.
In the extra period Pima took a quick, 74-72 lead, but a hook shot by Hainline tied it and Holloway added a three to give the Thunderbirds the lead for good.
Holloway finished with 22 points and seven assists. Gianni Dailey (So., Phoenix, AZ/St. Mary's H.S.) scored a season-high 19. Mitch Burnett (Fr., Phoenix, AZ/Central H.S.) added 14 and Hainline contributed a season-high 13. Dailey and Burnett each had six rebounds as MCC out-rebounded the Aztecs, 35-27.
Ben Gershman paced PCC with 20 points. Paige scored 19 and Cervantes and Matt O'Boyle each added 17.
The T-Birds now have two weeks off until opening play in the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout on Dec. 27.
