SMCC Men's Basketball Downs Mesa CC in Regular-Season Finale

The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team (25-5, 14-4 ACCAC Division II) defeated Mesa CC 82-74 in an ACCAC Division II road contest on Saturday, Feb. 28. Freshman Travis Vasquez led five Cougars in double-figures with 18 points as the Cougars closed out the regular season with their 25th victory, the most by an SMCC team since the 2010-11 squad.

 

SMCC will host Scottsdale CC in an NJCAA Region I Division II Tournament Semifinal on Thursday, Mar. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the SMCC Gym. The Cougars are the No. 2 seed, and the Artichokes are the No. 3 seed. The fourth-seeded GCC Gauchos travel to top-seeded Pima CC in the other semifinal. The Championship Game is Saturday, Mar. 7, with a time to be determined.

 

"Our guys had built-in excuses with us being down a few starters and our playoff seeding locked in place. However, they refuse to use those excuses and keep finding ways to compete. This group has won the most games at SMCC in 15 years and has a chance to set a new record. That's testament to the belief, character, and culture that these student-athletes have quickly developed," said SMCC head coach Cory Hoff. "Our offense has gotten better over the past few weeks, but I feel like we need to clean up the defense if we want to advance in the postseason. Our balance is our best attribute, and we showed it again with five players in double figures. Anytime you shoot 56 percent from the floor, you are going to be pleased with your offense. We now move on to the best time of the year: March Madness. It's win or go home. We hope to see a packed gym on Thursday night as we host a home playoff game in The Cougar Den."

 

SMCC led 37-36 at halftime after overcoming a six-point deficit about seven minutes into the game. Sophomore Parker Escalante led SMCC with 10 points and added two steals, two assists, and a rebound.

 

In the second half, a Vasquez lay-up put SMCC ahead by six about four minutes into the period. A 3-pointer from sophomore Brandon Mangahas put SMCC ahead eight with less than eight minutes to play, and his lay-up with about four minutes left put SMCC ahead by 10.

 

Vasquez was 7 of 15 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers in 38 minutes. He tied for the team lead with four assists and added three rebounds.

 

Sophomore Blake Carabio was second on the team with 16 points, making 6 of 12 attempts with a pair of 3-pointers in 32 minutes. He grabbed a team-high five rebounds and had four steals.

 

Escalante finished with 12 points, three assists, two steals, and a rebound in 24 minutes. Freshman Devone Pless posted 11 points, four assists, one rebound, and one steal in 27 minutes.

 

Mangahas was the fifth Cougar in double-figures, scoring 10 points in 19 minutes off the bench. He was a perfect 4 for 4 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, and added two assists and a rebound.

 

Freshman Semajay James chipped in nine points, three rebounds, three assists, and a blocked shot in 23 minutes as a reserve. Freshmen Dylan Eaddy, Gak Kueth, and Eric Butler all scored two points.

 

SMCC shot 28 of 50 (56 percent) from the field and 8 of 17 (47.1 percent) from 3-point range. They totaled 21 rebounds, 16 assists, nine steals, and one block.