2021 Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout - Day 1 Recap
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Midland College (9-4, 2-0) | 27 | 27 | 7 | 61 |
|
Mesa Community College (3-6, 1-5) | 25 | 29 | 10 | 64 |
Midland College
| Game Statistics | Midland College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-60) | (24-49) |
| Field Goal % | 38.3% | 49.0% |
| Rebounds | 29 | 25 |
| Assists | 11 | 12 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 18 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 21 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 6 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 17 | 33 |
MESA, AZ - The first day of action in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout, was one to remember at Mesa Community College. The Mesa T-Birds host this annual tournament with a strong field year in and year out, and pulled off the first upset in the shootout by defeating (RV) Midland in overtime 64-61.
Day 1 (Monday, December 27) Results:
2:00pm - Game 1 - (#1) Salt Lake 117 vs. Glendale 80:
The Bruins (15-0) attacked the Gauchos (9-4) straight out of the gate on Monday afternoon, striking for a 13-2 lead just three minutes into the contest. The number one team in the land, never looked back. Salt Lake took a safe 63-33 lead into halftime and cruised in the second half. The Bruins shot 62% from the field and 39% from beyond the three-point arc. Eight Bruins finished in double-figures, led by Quincy McGriff's 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Doctor Bradley chimed in with 21 points off the bench as well. Salt Lake advances in the winners bracket, to face 8th ranked Indian Hills Warriors at 8pm on Tuesday evening, while the Gauchos will face New Mexico Junior College at 2pm on Tuesday in the consolation bracket.
4:00pm - Game 2 - New Mexico JC vs. (#8) Indian Hills
Game two of the tournament saw the 8th ranked Indian Hills Warriors (12-3) out of Iowa, face the New Mexico Thunderbirds (7-6). The T-Birds scored the first two points of the game, with a pair of free-throws just 11 seconds into the contest. After that, it was all about the Warriors. Indian Hills responded by rattling off 15 straight points, to take a 15-2 lead five and a half minutes into the game and never looked back. The Warriors knocked off the Thunderbirds 68-56. Indian Hills was led in scoring by Enoch Kalambay's 18 points.
6:00pm - Game 3 - (RV) Midland vs. Mesa
The tournament hosts' Mesa Thunderbirds (3-6), pulled off the first upset of the shootout on day one, as they defeated the Midland Chaparrals (9-4); who are currently receiving votes in the latest NJCAA DI Men's Basketball National Poll, by a final of 64-61 in overtime. After one half of play, Midland took a slim 27-25 lead into the halftime break. In the second half, the Thunderbirds would once again keep it close with the Chaps, thanks to some outstanding defensive plays throughout the night. Mesa shot 58% from the field in the second half, all while limiting Midland to 34.5% shooting. The T-Birds took the lead early in overtime and would not look back. Four players finished in double-figures scoring, led by Justin Chambers 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. Mesa advances in the winners bracket and will face 15th ranked Snow College at 6pm on Tuesday evening.
8:00pm - Game 4 - South Plains vs. (#15) Snow
The 15th ranked Snow College Badgers (10-3) defeated the South Plains College Texans (4-6) in the final game on Monday evening's slate, by a final of 79-70. The game was tight throughout between the Badgers and the Texans. At the half, Snow led by just five points. In the second half, the teams continued to stay in stride with one another, but the Badgers proved to be too much. In the win, Wyatt Lowell led Snow in scoring with 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field.
Day 2 (Tuesday, December 28) Schedule:
2:00pm - Game 5 - Glendale vs New Mexico JC
4:00pm - Game 6 - South Plains vs (RV) Midland
6:00pm - Game 7 - (#15) Snow vs Mesa
8:00pm - Game 8 - (#1) Salt Lake vs (#8) Indian Hills
All of the games will be live streamed on T-Bird Sports Live. To view the entire tournament schedule/bracket, results and more, please visit: https://www.mesatbirdsports.com/sports/mbkb/Fiesta_Bowl_2021.
Don't forget to check out the MCC Team Shop, as well as our Booster Club.