Valiant effort falls just short as men's basketball falls to No. 6 Indian Hills, 90-83 in OT
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Indian Hills Community College (6-0) | 42 | 35 | 13 | 90 |
|
Mesa Community College (3-1) | 41 | 36 | 6 | 83 |
Indian Hills Community College
| Game Statistics | Indian Hills Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (29-70) | (24-64) |
| Field Goal % | 41.4% | 37.5% |
| Rebounds | 44 | 31 |
| Assists | 14 | 16 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 20 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 22 | 30 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 15 | 5 |
| Pts in the Paint | 40 | 24 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 20 | 9 |
| Bench Pts | 35 | 13 |
MESA, AZ - The Mesa men's basketball team came tantalizingly close to pulling an upset over sixth-ranked Indian Hills Wednesday night in Theo Heap Gym before falling in overtime, 90-83.
The T-Birds not only hung with the faller taller, and high-scoring Warriors, but led much of the game, only to see a late three pointer by IHCC send the game into the extra period.
Then several key turnovers helped the visitors build a lead that MCC couldn't overcome.
Indian Hills arrived with a 6-0 record and had averaged 116.8 points per game in those contests. The Warriors also featured a seven-footer, plus players at 6-9, 6-8 and two at 6-7 among their regulars.
It didn't seem to bother Mesa which jumped to a 7-0 lead and never trailed by more than five until early in the overtime.
Andrew Jones (So., Portalnd, Ore/Westview H. S.) hit two early threes as MCC took the early lead. The lead changed hands seven times as was tied on six occasions before halftime which saw the visitors leave the floor with a 42-41 margin.
The Warriors stretched it to 50-45 on a dunk by seven-foot Akolda Manyang at the 16:19 mark, but the Thunderbirds quickly recovered and surged ahead, 54-52 on a basket by Sam Hainline (Fr., Laramie, Wyo/Laramie H.S.). After two ties Nate Jimerson (Fr., Bullhead City, AZ/Mohave H.S.) gave MCC the lead 56-54 with 11:54 left and Mesa maintained the margin almost all the rest of the way.
James Harris hit a layup with 6:06 remaining to draw IHCC even at 65, but Khari Holloway (So., Jackson, Miss/Mountain Pointe (AZ) H.S.), who had another fantastic night, made a pair of free throws to put the Thunderbirds back on top.
MCC built its lead to as many as eight, 73-65, on a floater by Holloway who finished with 29 points.
A parade to the free throw line helped Indian Hills narrow the gap. They made nine of 12 over the next three minutes while MCC attempted just two, and drew even on the final two, by Jeremiah Worthem, with 1:05 to play.
Jones gave Mesa the lead, 77-74 with a huge three at the 39 second mark, but Worthem matched it with 28 to play. Holloway's long three at the buzzer missed, sending the game into overtime.
Several turnovers by the T-Birds early in the extra period helped the Warriors quickly surge in front, 82-77, in less than a minute and a half, a margin Mesa could not overcome.
Holloway's 29 points set a career high for him fort the second straight night. He had 26 in a win over Arizona Western Tuesday. He even led the team with seven rebounds.
Jones finished with 15, hitting five of eight threes, while Kyle Bingham, (Fr., Mesa, AZ/Mountain View H.S.) had a season-high 13 points.
The 6-7 Worthem led IHCC with 15 points, Harris had 12 and Jamaar McKay 11.
The loss drops MCC to 3-2 on the year. The T-Birds have a week off before visiting Phoenix on Dec. 3
