Tale of Two Halves: T-Birds Storm Back Against Tetons 67-62
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Williston State College (4-11, 2-5) | 36 | 26 | 62 |
|
Mesa Community College (2-6, 1-5) | 20 | 47 | 67 |
Williston State College
| Game Statistics | Williston State College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (21-52) | (25-56) |
| Field Goal % | 40.4% | 44.6% |
| Rebounds | 32 | 31 |
| Assists | 12 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 20 | 15 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 9 | 14 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 4 | 4 |
| Pts in the Paint | 22 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 7 |
| Bench Pts | 20 | 3 |
MESA, AZ - The Mesa Community College men's basketball team played shorthanded on Saturday afternoon, but used a second half rally to withstand the Williston State College Tetons by a final of 67-62, inside of Theo Heap Gymnasium.
With the victory, the Mesa Thunderbirds improve to 2-6 overall. With the loss, the Williston State Tetons fall to 4-11 overall.
Mesa jumped on the board first on Saturday afternoon, taking a 2-0 lead two minutes into the contest. The Tetons answered back by scoring 14 straight points to take a commanding 14-2 lead just six minutes into the game and never looked back. At halftime, Williston State led 36-20 over the T-Birds.
It turned out to be a tale of two halves, as Mesa came out of the locker room inspired for the final 20 minutes of play. MCC outscored the Tetons 47-26 in the second half. MCC drew within a point of the Tetons with six minutes to play and didn't take the lead until there were 100 seconds remaining in the game.
In the win, the Thunderbirds were led by Quincy Reece, who finished the night with a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds. BJ Burries finished 19 points on 6-15 shooting; all of Burries buckets were scored beyond the three-point arc or from the free-throw line. Mesa had just eight players dress for Saturday's game.
The Thunderbird men will now take off for the holiday break. Mesa will next be in action on December 27th, when they begin play in the annual Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout; hosted inside of Theo Heap Gymnasium. The tournament runs December 27 through December 29, with games at 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm each day. Ticket prices are $40, for a 3-day tournament pass, or $15 for a single day ticket.
MCC opens play on the 27th against Midland College. Tip time is slated for 8pm. All games of the tournament are set to be livestreamed on T-Birds Sports Live.