Women's Basketball survives a scare from conference rival Pima
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pima Community College (6-2, 3-1) | 19 | 16 | 22 | 15 | 72 |
|
Mesa Community College (6-2, 2-1) | 23 | 18 | 9 | 23 | 73 |
Pima Community College
| Game Statistics | Pima Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (25-56) | (28-64) |
| Field Goal % | 44.6% | 43.8% |
| Rebounds | 31 | 30 |
| Assists | 13 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 16 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 16 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 30 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 20 | 17 |
Monday December 11, 2023 - 10:44 a.m. | Dylan DeVlieger
No. 3 MCC Women's Basketball added another big time win to their already impressive 2023-24 season on Saturday as they defeated conference rival Pima Community College, 73-72.
In another instant classic between the two clubs, MCC came out on top after some big time execution down the stretch.
Mesa controlled the pace for the first half, a fast start offensively for Jaida Brooks who scored 10 points in the opening quarter helped MCC jump out to a 23-19 first quarter lead. Both teams shot the ball well from the field as Pima connected on 46.7% of their shots and MCC was successful on 55.6% of theirs.
In the second quarter, though MCC outscored the Aztecs 18-16, their shots from behind the arc fell flat shooting just 1-8 from deep while Pima went 3-6 from downtown. Brooks stayed consistent in the second quarter as she added to her impressive first half total, scoring nine more points before the halftime buzzer. MCC would take a 41-35 lead into the locker room.
The third quarter is when Pima swung the momentum in their favor, outscoring Mesa 22-9 in the period. Pima shot the ball extremely well from the floor going 8-12 from the field and 5-6 from the free throw stripe. The Lady Thunderbirds struggled in the quarter going just 2-16 from the field. Pima took their first lead of the contest in the third quarter and would grow their advantage to as many as seven points.
Going into the final quarter, MCC trailed Pima 50-57. Both teams would trade blows back and forth, Mesa was able to put together runs here and there but the Aztecs found ways to bend not break for a majority of the quarter.
With 1:34 left in the game MCC found themselves down 71-67 after a Brooks free throw. Miquedah Taliman would get a steal that led to Mackenzie Shivers knocking down two free throws as the Lady T-Birds found themselves within reach. After a missed Pima jumper, Shivers had a quick outlet pass to Brooks who laid it up to tie the game at 71 each with 28 seconds left. A Shivers foul would give Pima an opportunity to go back up by two, but Dominique Acosta went 1-2 from the line giving MCC the chance to call a timeout and draw up a play to take the lead with no time remaining.
Out of the timeout the Lady T-Birds ran a play that was executed to perfection as Brooks found a cutting Kamiyah Hurd who laid up a lefty layup to take a 72-73 lead with 13 seconds left.
With more than 10 seconds on the clock Pima had plenty of time to get a quality shot off to upset the No. 3 team in the country. MCC would play tough defense not allowing guard Rylei Waugh to get a clean look at the basket as her attempt fell off the iron into the hands of the T-Birds. Brooks would have a chance to ice the game for Mesa after she was fouled and sent to the free throw line.
Brooks would miss both at the line again giving Pima a chance to steal a victory with 2.8 left on the clock. Inbounding on the sideline the Aztecs were able to get the ball into the hands of Waugh who drove to her right and threw up a floater that just bounced off the rim and fell into the hands of the T-Birds as the buzzer sounded.
With the victory MCC improved their overall record to 6-2 (2-1 ACCAC). Luckily for MCC and Pima fans this is just the first of three meetings between the two clubs as they will square off again Jan. 20 at Mesa. The Lady T-Birds will be back in action on Wednesday as they host Phoenix College.
Breakout Thunderbirds:
-
Jaida Brooks led all scorers with 26 points, scoring 19 in the first half as she went 11-17 from the field and 3-6 from downtown. Brooks also grabbed five rebounds and had five assists.
-
Miquedah Taliman had a relatively quiet day from beyond the arc as she shot 2-10 from deep, but ended up with 14 points on the day while recording a season high five steals.
-
Kamiyah Hurd was the hero down the stretch as she nailed the game winning bucket for the T-Birds, but she also did a great job on the glass grabbing a team high seven rebounds, three of which being offensive.
