(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College men’s basketball team (11-10, 5-8) suffered its fourth straight loss on Saturday as the Aztecs couldn’t hold on in the second half against Eastern Arizona College (18-3, 10-3).
The Aztecs fell to the Gila Monsters 101-88 after being outscored 67-41 in the second half.
The Aztecs took advantage of Eastern Arizona’s cold shooting in the first half and used a10-0 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 40-23. The Aztecs took a 47-34 lead into the locker room. The Aztecs hit nine-3 pointers and held the Gila Monsters to 2 for 11 from beyond the arc.
The Aztecs led 61-52 but the Gila Monsters went on an 11-1 run to take their first lead of the game at 63-62 with 10:57 left. The Aztecs scored the next four points to reclaim the lead at 67-63 but Eastern Arizona went on an 18-4 run to put the Aztecs behind 81-71 with a little over six minutes left. The Aztecs trailed by as much as 15 points late in the game.
Freshman Jake Lieppert (Saguaro HS) scored a team-high 23 points along with eight rebounds. Sophomore Rashad Smith (Hamilton HS) went 5 for 7 from three-point range and finished with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Sophomore Jordan Robinson (Tucson HS) added 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Fellow sophomore Cole Gerken (Ironwood Ridge HS) posted 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Aztecs will be on the road the next two games. They’ll play at Arizona Western College on Wednesday in Yuma. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
EAC 34 67 101
PCC 47 41 88
Press Release courtesy of Pima Athletics
