(Tucson, AZ) The Pima Community College men’s basketball team (3-1) suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday at Eastern Arizona College (4-10).
The Aztecs rallied from a double digit deficit late in the second half but fell 103-100 in overtime.
Down 102-98 with 20.1 seconds left, freshman Chris Lee hit a pair of free throws to cut Eastern Arizona’s lead to two points. The Gila Monsters missed a pair of foul shots but the Aztecs turned the ball over with three second left and were forced to foul.
Down 90-79, the Aztecs closed out the last five minutes on a 13-2 run to force overtime tied at 92-92. Freshman Marcel Dean (Cholla HS) capped off the run with a three-pointer.
The Aztecs got as close as two points in overtime but couldn’t tie or take the lead in the extra period.
The Aztecs trailed 44-38 at halftime but outscored the Gila Monsters 54-48 in the second half.
Dean scored a game-high 40 points as he went 14 for 22 from the field and 8 for 16 from three-point range. Sophomore Daniel Moody (Walden Grove HS) finished with a double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds.
Freshman Jalen Johnson (Glendale HS) posted 11 points with seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Lee and freshman James Baker each scored 10 points.
The Aztecs will play in the NJCAA Division II Southwest District Tournament from April 9-10 in Dallas. They will play against Region 5 teams. Their first opponent is TBA.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Athletics – Raymond Suarez
