Mesa reaches Fiesta Bowl JC Shootout final with 68-58 win over Monroe
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Monroe College (10-4) | 35 | 23 | 58 |
|
Mesa Community College (8-3) | 33 | 35 | 68 |
Monroe College
| Game Statistics | Monroe College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (21-53) | (19-40) |
| Field Goal % | 39.6% | 47.5% |
| Rebounds | 28 | 27 |
| Assists | 6 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 14 | 22 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 19 | 13 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 14 | 2 |
| Pts in the Paint | 20 | 14 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 3 |
| Bench Pts | 14 | 22 |
MESA, AZ - Once again responding with a big second half, Mesa reached the championship game of the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout with a win over Monroe (NY), 68-58, in a rematch of last year's championship game.
Trailing at halftime, 35-3, the T-Birds (8-3) took the lead 40-39 on a three-pointer by Gianni Dailey (So., Phoenix, AZ/St. Mary's H.S.) with 16:51 to go and never trailed again.
MCC built its lead to nine points, 51-42 at the 11:26 mark on a pair of free throws by Charles Wardell (So., Milwaukee, Wisc/Northwest Secondary H.S.) and stifled any Mustangs' challenge.
Mesa used its outstanding free throw shooting, hitting 76.7 percent to 61.9 for Monroe (10-4) and made seven of 14 three-pointers while the Mustangs were just 3-19. MCC even limited Monroe to 39.6 percent shooting from the floor.
Khari Holloway (So., Jackson, Miss/Mountain Pointe (AZ) H.S.) scored 17 points while Wardell added 16 including four of six three-pointers. Jordan Pratt (Fr., Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain H.S.) contributed ten points.
MCC will play the winner of the Central Arizona/San Bernardino game in the title contest Monday at 8:00 p.m.