T-Birds Place 4th at the 2021 Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Indian Hills Community College (13-4, 0-0) | 48 | 40 | 88 |
|
Mesa Community College (3-8, 1-5) | 43 | 20 | 63 |
Indian Hills Community College
| Game Statistics | Indian Hills Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-65) | (22-55) |
| Field Goal % | 47.7% | 40.0% |
| Rebounds | 37 | 31 |
| Assists | 19 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 18 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 26 | 8 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 6 | 5 |
| Pts in the Paint | 42 | 28 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 18 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 48 | 12 |
MESA, AZ - The Thunderbirds closed out play in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout on Wednesday evening, falling to the 8th ranked Indian Hills Community College Warriors in the third place game. The T-Birds closed out play in the shootout in 4th place, with a record of 1-2.
Day 3 (Wednesday, December 29) Results:
2:00pm - Game 9 - Glendale 52 vs (RV) Midland 45
The seventh place game got off to a rocky start on Wednesday afternoon. Midland; who is currently receiving votes in the latest NJCAA D1 Men's Basketball National Poll continued their struggles. Both the Chaparrals and the Gauchos shot under 25% from the field in the first half, with the Chaps holding a slim 22-19 lead at the half. In the second half, the Gauchos exploded for 33 points and cruised to a 52-45 victory. Glendale (10-5) distanced themselves from the Chaps (9-6) in the second half and never looked back. Two players scored in double-figures for Glendale, led by Eric Blackwell's 15 points.
4:00pm - Game 10 - South Plains 65 vs. New Mexico JC 58
The Consolation Championship pitted South Plains against New Mexico Junior College. The Texans (6-6) came out victorious in a tight knit battle against the T-Birds (8-7). In the first half, New Mexico controlled the game, taking a 40-35 lead into halftime. The second half was a different story, as the Texans limited the Thunderbirds to just 18 points, while scoring 30 points of their own to pull away for good. In the win, Malek Abdelgowad led the team with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting with five rebounds. Abdelgowad was named to the All Tournament Team, following his strong performances these last three days.
6:00pm - Game 11 - Mesa 63 vs. (#8) Indian Hills 88
The hosts' Mesa T-Birds looked to pull off the largest upset of the tournament, when they faced 8th ranked Indian Hills in the Third Place Game on Saturday evening. Six minutes into the contest, the Thunderbirds held a four point lead 13-9 over the 8th ranked team in the country. Mesa battled all evening long. At the half, the T-Birds would mount a comeback to draw within five points of the Warriors at 48-43. In the final 20 minutes, the Warriors would slowly pull away from Mesa. While MCC hung around, the Warriors proved why they were the 8th ranked team in the NJCAA. Indian Hills (13-4) claimed the win over Mesa (3-8) by a final of 88-63. Phoenix native, Isaiah Marin from the Warriors was named to the all-tournament team for his performances all three days of the shootout. Marin finished the night with 17 points and eight rebounds.
8:00pm - Game 12 - (#1) Salt Lake 85 vs. (#15) Snow 68
The 1st ranked team in the nation, Salt Lake Bruins proved their dominance once again. The Bruins (17-0) defeated the Snow College Badgers (10-4) for the second time this month and kept their perfect season intact, by winning by a score of 85-68. With the win, the Bruins had two players named to the All-Tournament Team and had Jordan Brinson named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
All Tournament Team:
Malek Abdelgowad - South Plains
Isaiah Marin - Indian Hills
Clayton Southwick - Snow
Quincy McGriff - Salt Lake
Doctor Bradley - Salt Lake
Most Outstanding Player: Jordan Brinson - Salt Lake
The Mesa Thunderbird men return to action in the new year when they travel to Thatcher to face Eastern Arizona College on Wednesday, January 5. The opening tip is scheduled for 7:30pm. Don't forget to check out the MCC Team Shop, as well as our Booster Club.