Great Day For Thunderbird Women
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mesa Community College | 9 | 16 | 11 | 20 | 56 |
|
Scottsdale Community College | 7 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 53 |
Scottsdale Community College
| Game Statistics | Mesa Community College | Scottsdale Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (18-58) | (19-57) |
| Field Goal % | 31.0% | 33.3% |
| Rebounds | 42 | 42 |
| Assists | 3 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 18 | 17 |
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 - 8:35 pm | Derek Diesner
Mesa, AZ - The Mesa Thunderbird women had a day to remember! On Tuesday afternoon, the Mesa T-Birds found out that Jayla Johnson was named the ACCAC DII Women's Player of the Week for the fourth time this season, the team moved up in the latest NJCAA DII Women's Basketball Poll to 13th in the Nation, and Mesa closed out the regular season with a road victory at Scottsdale 56-53.
For the fourth time this season, sophomore guard Jayla Johnson was named the ACCAC DII Women's Basketball Player of the Week. Johnson and the T-Birds had a busy week last week, playing four games in six days. Mesa began the week with a pair of home games, before playing two road games on back-to-back nights. Two of the games last week were rescheduled games due to earlier postponements.
In the first game of the week against Phoenix College, Johnson finished with eight points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal in a 31 point win over the Bears. Last Wednesday at home against Glendale, Jayla Johnson finished with a team-high 16 points. She also added five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
The T-Birds then hit the road for a pair of crucial games. First up was a match-up against Pima with first place on the line for the ACCAC DII Women's Basketball standings. Against the Aztecs, Johnson finished with a team-high 18 points; while shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. She also added five rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the game.
Johnson closed out the week with an all-around performance at Phoenix College. She finished with 11 points, eights rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one blocked shot in the win.
MCC Ranked 13th in the Nation
On Tuesday, the NJCAA announced their weekly Top 20 Women's Basketball Division II National Poll, with the Thunderbirds finally climbing into the rankings. After spending the last few weeks only receiving votes, the T-Birds vaulted into the #13 spot in the poll, following a perfect 4-0 week; which included a win over former #10 Pima Aztecs. Following the loss, Pima fell to #14 in the latest poll.
Season Ending Win at Scottsdale
Mesa ended Tuesday evening on yet another positive note; their seventh straight win with a narrow 56-53 road win at Scottsdale Community College.
The Thunderbirds will now take the next week to rest up and prepare for the ACCAC DII Women's Basketball Postseason Tournament. Mesa enters as the #1 seed and has homecourt advantage throughout the tournament. MCC will open tournament play next Wednesday, March 2 at 7:30 pm against the Glendale Gauchos (7-23 overall, 5-15 ACCAC). Mesa defeated Glendale on the road 72-57 back on January 8. The T-Birds defeated the Gauchos again, this time inside of Theo Heap Gymnasium on February 16, by a final of 86-61. The #2 seed Pima Aztecs will host the #3 seed, Scottsdale, next Wednesday. With the winners to square off on Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 pm at the highest remaining seed.
Don't forget to check out the MCC Team Shop, as well as our Booster Club.