Posted: Jan 15, 2026
CGCC Clips SMCC Men's Basketball, 65-60
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
(10-8, 2-5 ACCAC)
65
South Mountain Community College
(15-3, 5-2 ACCAC)
60
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chandler-Gilbert Community College (10-8, 2-5 ACCAC) | 37 | 28 | 65 |
|
South Mountain Community College (15-3, 5-2 ACCAC) | 22 | 38 | 60 |
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team (15-3, 5-2 ACCAC Division II) nearly pulled off a 20-point comeback in the second half, but ultimately fell 65-60 to Chandler-Gilbert CC in an ACCAC Division II contest on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the SMCC Gym. Freshman Travis Vasquez fueled the second-half comeback, scoring 19 points and draining five 3-pointers in the second half to finish with a team-high 22 points. Freshmen Devone Pless and I'yar Shadowvine each scored 11 for the Cougars in defeat.
The Coyotes led 37-22 at halftime and increased that advantage to 20 with 17:05 left. Pless then scored six straight points, but CGCC responded to re-establish a 48-30 lead with 10:39 to play. From there, Vasquez hit four 3-pointers in a row to pull the Cougars within 51-42 with 8:13 left. Shadowvine then scored five straight, making it 51-47 with less than seven minutes.
Sophomore Blake Carabio made a 3-pointer with 4:14 left to pull SMCC within 53-52, and a Vasquez jumper tied the game at 54-54 with 3:29 left. However, the Coyotes scored on their ensuing possession and built a 60-54 lead with 2:21 left in the game. SMCC would get no closer than four as CGCC escaped with the conference road win.
"We were outplayed, outworked, and outcoached in this game and didn't prepare at a level to deserve to win this game," said SMCC head coach Cory Hoff. "It's tough to win a game when your opponent shoots 15 more free throws and commits nine fewer fouls on our home floor. We can't keep having these slow starts and think we can come back in the second half. We have a lot of things to work on and figure out before we play Glendale CC on Saturday."
Vasquez finished 7 of 12 from the field and 6 of 8 from downtown, setting a new season high, in 32 minutes off the bench. The 22 points were one off his season high, and he reached the total for his second time this season with that total. He added four rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Shadowvine added six rebounds, one shy of his season high, and an assist to his 11 points in 22 minutes. Pless led SMCC with eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals in addition to his 11 points.
Carabio posted eight points, two 3-pointers, and two rebounds, while sophomore Parker Escalante had five points and three rebounds and freshman Semajay James posted five rebounds and two assists.
The Cougars shot 33.9 percent (20 of 59) from the floor for the game, but finished the first half 8 of 31 (25.8 percent). SMCC totaled 40 rebounds, 11 assists, and seven steals in the loss. CGCC held a 26-12 advantage in points in the paint and scored 19 points off 14 SMCC turnovers.
