(#13) Thunderbirds Advance To Region I, DII Title Game
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Glendale Community College | 8 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 50 |
|
Mesa Community College | 13 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 63 |
Glendale Community College
| Game Statistics | Glendale Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (17-62) | (19-49) |
| Field Goal % | 27.4% | 38.8% |
| Rebounds | 26 | 44 |
| Assists | 10 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 17 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 6 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 5 | 18 |
| Pts in the Paint | 12 | 18 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 8 | 13 |
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 - 9:05 pm | Derek Diesner
Mesa, AZ - The 13th ranked Mesa Thunderbirds grinded out a 63-50 victory Wednesday evening, in a Region I, DII semifinal match-up over the Glendale Gauchos.
With the victory, the 13th ranked Thunderbirds improve to 21-7 overall and have now won their last eight straight games. With the loss, Glendale sees their 2021-22 season come to a close with an overall record of 7-24.
Halfway through the first quarter of play, the Gauchos were tied with the Thunderbirds at 5-5. From there, the Thunderbirds soared past the Gauchos and never looked back for the third time this season.
It was a low-scoring affair between the Gauchos and the Thunderbirds, but Mesa was in control for the entirety of the game. After a quarter of play, MCC held a 13-8 lead.
Then going into halftime, Jayla Johnson drained a deep two-pointer to give Mesa the 30-18 advantage at the half.
In the second half, Glendale tried to keep the pressure on Mesa and make it a game. The Gauchos outscored the Thunderbirds 16-14 in the third quarter and only trailed by ten at 44-34.
In the fourth and final quarter, the Mesa defense clamped down and the offense came back to life, striking for 19 points. Wednesday's contest was decided by free-throws. Glendale ended the evening just 8-of-10 from the charity stripe, while Mesa finished 20-for-23 from the free-throw line.
In the win, Mesa had two players finish in double-figure scoring. Jayla Johnson ended the game with a team-best 19 points a team-high nine rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and one assist. Mykah Anderson added 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
The Thunderbirds will host the Region I, DII Women's Basketball Championship game on Saturday evening at 7 pm inside of Theo Heap Gymnasium. The T-Birds will host the #2 seed Pima Aztecs (20-10 overall, 12-8 ACCAC), with a spot in the NJCAA DII Women's Basketball National Tournament on the line. These two squads split their regular season games against one another, with each team winning on the opposition's court.
Don't forget to check out the MCC Team Shop, as well as our Booster Club.
