(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College men’s basketball team (15-0) closed out the Aztec Holiday Classic on Monday at the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium.
The No. 6 ranked Aztecs (Division II) used a big second half run to topple No. 4 ranked Salt Lake Community College (Division I) 92-75 to finish 3-0 in the invitational and remain undefeated to close out 2024.
Up 49-48, the Aztecs got boosts from sophomores Cohenj Gonzales (Mesquite HS) and Max Majerle (Arcadia HS), who caught fire from three-point range to spark a 22-3 run to take a 20-point lead at 71-51. Gonzales gave Pima their biggest lead of the game at 87-62 late in the second half.
The Aztecs trailed by as much as three points at 20-17 in the first half but used an 8-2 run to take the lead back at 25-22 and never trailed again. Pima led 40-37 at halftime.
Gonzales scored a team-high 31 points as he went 10 for 20 from the field and 9 for 15 from three-point range. He was 6 for 8 from downtown in the second half alone. He also added four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Gonzales averaged 27 points and went 15 for 26 from beyond the arc (58 percent) in the last three games.
Majerle went 7 for 13 from the field and 5 for 8 from downtown as he finished with 24 points. He was also 5 for 5 from the foul line and added six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Sophomore Gabe Oldham posted a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds as he went 5 for 8 shooting. Fellow sophomore and post player Wes Ball (Marana HS) also scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Ball also had two blocks and was 4 for 7 from the field. Ball averaged 18.6 points and went 22 for 30 from the field (73 percent) the last three games.
Freshman Brigg Wolfe (Mesa Mountain View HS) came off the bench and finished with seven points, six rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes of play.
The Aztecs shot 48 percent (31 for 64) for the game and 48 percent from three-point range (15 for 31).
The Aztecs are back at the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium on Saturday when they play PHH Prep at 4:00 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Aztec Athletics – Raymond Suarez
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