Lady T-Birds basketball experienced tough stretch for first losing streak
Rene Gomez
Lady T-Birds basketball lost to Central Arizona 55-49 on Feb. 5 at Theo J. Heap Gymnasium.
Mesa’s overall record is 18-4 and their conference record is 14-3.
It also ended a nine game winning streak for Mesa which earned them a No. 4 ranking in the NJCAA Division II poll.
Sophomore guard Peace Amukamara led Mesa with 15 points and freshman forward Kylie Herd had 13 points off the bench.
Herd and freshman Megan Gillespie logged many minutes as sophomore forward Madi Austin was in foul trouble.
The Lady T-Birds stayed strong and defended Central Arizona well.
The Vaqueras shot 31.6 percent from the field and 25 percent from three point range.
Mesa struggled offensively as well shooting 27.3 percent from the field and 15.8 percent from three.
The first half was physical between both teams and Mesa showed toughness and finished with a halftime lead 27-25.
“We never felt pressured and never felt scared,” sophomore guard Leslie Tademy said.
With 52 seconds left in the game, Mesa forced a turnover and had a chance to retake the lead down 50-49.
Mesa got a look at the basket, but Amukamara missed a jump shot and then fouled a Vaquera with 31 seconds left.
“We were looking for penetration and to try to draw a foul,” freshman guard Erica Vasquez said.
Mesa was down 52-49 and Amukamara had an opportunity to tie it up, but missed a three-pointer.
Tademy got the offensive rebound and Mesa called a timeout, but the Lady T-Birds did not get a shot off as they turned the ball over with 13 seconds left.
Mesa did not get any more chances on offense and Central Arizona made free throws to extend their lead as the time expired.
On Feb. 8 Mesa was away at Pima and lost 61-58 in overtime.
The Lady T-Birds last home game is at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at Heap Gymnasium versus Chandler-Gilbert
