T-birds continue to roll with promising win
Aaron Dunton
It was another positive night for the men’s basketball team on Jan. 30 as the team came up with a huge 61-44 victory, this time to the Gila Monsters of Eastern Arizona.Eastern Arizona entered the game as the number two team in the ACCAC, while Mesa sat pretty in the fourth place position.
Many eyebrows were raised during the game as many wondered just how good this young Mesa team really was.
MCC’s sports information director Todd Bolser would be one the surprised.
“This was a big win for the team. It was a fun game to watch,” said Bolser after the game.
Eastern entered the game as one of the best offenses in the conference. It’s safe to say Mesa’s defense has been suspect all year as well.
Well, that is no longer the case as Mesa held Eastern to only 19 in the entire first half, on 29 percent shooting from the field.
Nothing would change in the second half either, as Eastern shot only 33 percent from the field, ending the game with an overall 31 percent from the field.
Mesa, on the other hand, had the hot hand from the start. The team would end with 39 percent shooting from the field.
Freshman David Jackson was arguably the games MVP tonight, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds, and two blocked shots.
Most importantly, the big man was four for six from behind the arch, proving lethal from all over the court.
Sophomore Rodney Brown, arguably the spoken leader on the court, also finished with a solid game. He had nine points and a team high four assists in the game. He chiped in with three three pointers for the T-birds as well.
John Pena, who entered the game as the teams leading scorer, had what some would say as an off-night, but still chipped in with seven points and five rebounds. He had the teams lone other three pointer on the night as well.
As a team, the free throw shooting proved the be the T-birds biggest asset again.
The men would shoot 79 percent from the charity stripe, nothing new for the team who has consistently put up good numbers from the free throw line.
The dagger for the Thunderbirds came in the middle of the second half, when Jessie Childs threw a perfect ally-oop to forward Blair Nelson for a spectacular dunk that had the crowd on its feet.
It would be Nelson’s only points on the night, but he would also finish with four rebounds.
Childs would end with ten points and a team high seven rebounds.
The win avenges an earlier season loss Mesa had to Eastern Arizona.
It would be safe to say, Mesa is only getting better with every game.
The T-birds would outplay the Gila Monsters in every statistical catergory but turnovers, something Mesa has usually been good at containing.
Mesa, now 12-4 on the season, will enter the ladder part of the season with the momentum on their side.
Their remaining schedule looks promising too as the team will only play two more games against teams with a better record than the T-birds.
The teams next two home game are on Feb. 9, against Yavapai College and Feb. 20, against Phoenix College.
The Yavapai game will take place at 4 p.m., here at the Heap Gymnasium. Mesa beat Yavapai last month 93-81.
The Phoenix College game will take place at its regular 7:30 p.m. start time, also in the Heap Gymnasium.
Mesa beat Phoenix College earlier this January 97-69.
