Cougar Men's Basketball Scores 70-60 Victory over Mesa CC

The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team (20-4, 9-3 ACCAC Division II) defeated Mesa CC 70-60 in an ACCAC Division II contest at the SMCC Gym on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Sophomore Blake Carabio came off the bench to lead the Cougars with 16 points, and freshmen I'yar Shadowvine and Travis Vasquez posted 13 points apiece as the Cougars scored an important conference victory to secure the season series with the Thunderbirds.

 

SMCC built a 33-26 halftime lead behind 10 points from Vasquez and a defense that limited MCC to 34.6 percent shooting (9 of 26) over the opening 20 minutes.

 

The Thunderbirds came out aggressive in the second half and cut the lead to 36-34 with 16 minutes to play. The Cougars responded with a 7-2 run capped off by a Vasquez 3-pointer, but MCC fought back to within 50-46 with less than 10 minutes to play.

 

Carabio immediately canned a 3-pointer on the next possession, and Dylan Eaddy scored five important points to put SMCC ahead 58-48 with 7:04 to go. MCC got back to within 60-55 with just over five minutes left, but Carabio scored five of the next six points to put SMCC ahead by 10 and seal the victory.

 

SMCC shot 44.4 percent (24 of 54) from the field and 16 of 23 (69.6 percent) from the free-throw line. The Cougars totaled 36 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals, and three blocks in the victory.

 

"All conference games are tough. There's never a night off in the ACCAC. I thought we had a better start tonight, which put us in a good position to control the game. We had a solid effort defensively by holding them under 38 percent from the floor," said SMCC head coach Cory Hoff. "Anytime we hold someone to 60 points, we feel like we have a chance to win. We've got to be better at finishing games. We missed some open shots we normally hit, and I think tired legs had something to do with it. I'm proud of the composure our guys showed tonight. We now go through ACCAC play for the third time, so we've got to lock in on these final six games to secure home court advantage for the NJCAA Region I Division II playoffs. We have a massive opportunity on the road this Saturday."

 

Carabio was 6 of 11 from the field with four rebounds, two 3-pointers, one assist, and a block in 28 minutes off the bench. He is averaging 15 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 24 contests this season.

 

Vasquez went 4 of 8 from the floor with two 3-pointers, three assists, two rebounds, and a steal in 27 minutes. He is averaging 12.1 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game in 24 contests.

 

Shadowvine finished 3 of 11 from the floor and made 7 of 9 attempts at the free-throw line in 27 minutes. He added four rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the win. Shadowvine is averaging 12.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game in 24 contests.

 

Freshman Jadden Jones led SMCC with nine rebounds and added seven points, four steals, and two assists in 35 minutes. Freshman Devone Pless posted six points and three rebounds, while Eaddy had five points, three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in 18 minutes.

 

Freshman Semajay James produced six rebounds, five points, two assists, and two steals in 23 minutes off the bench.