#16 Mesa Beats Central AZ in ACCAC Barn Burner, 65-61
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Central Arizona College (17-7, 12-5) | 14 | 14 | 21 | 12 | 61 |
|
Mesa Community College (18-5, 14-3) | 16 | 15 | 13 | 21 | 65 |
Central Arizona College
| Game Statistics | Central Arizona College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (20-63) | (25-68) |
| Field Goal % | 31.7% | 36.8% |
| Rebounds | 41 | 37 |
| Assists | 10 | 16 |
| Turnovers | 19 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 10 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 24 | 28 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 4 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 11 | 9 |
Mesa, AZ - For the first time in Mesa Head Coach Kori Stephenson's career, the T-Birds have defeated the Central Arizona Vaquera's, 65-61, in a thriller at Theo Heap Gym Saturday afternoon.
Coach Stephenson was 0-21 coming into this contest against Central, dating back to 2007.
Leading the T-Birds was Quynne Huggins, scoring 11 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Tori Lloyd led all Mesa scorers with 15 points with Allies Fuller adding 14 points and seven rebounds.
Just as these Mesa-Central games usually play out, it was intense from the tip. Mesa controlled the first quarter score, maintaining the lead throughout. In the quarter, Huggins connected on three of five three pointers while also grabbing three rebounds.
But the second quarter belonged to Central, as they quickly scored the first seven points in three minutes of play. Mesa however did rally back, tying the score at 21. In the final four minutes of the quarter, Sham Troupe scored eight points, with a couple of steals and assists from Takara Wade.
In the second half, both teams just continued to exchange punches. In all, there were a total of ten lead changes and seven ties.
Throughout the fourth quarter, Mesa stuck to a continuous lead, with the dagger coming from two Tori Lloyd free throws to seal the deal.
Mesa has now won eight straight games and are 18-5 overall, while sitting tied atop the ACCAC standings at 14-3. The T-Birds will travel to Eastern Arizona on Wednesday and be back at home on Saturday against Scottsdale, a 7 p.m. start time.