Shooting slump spells doom for No. 9 Women's Basketball against No. 1 Kirkwood
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mesa Community College (25-9) | 16 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 59 |
|
Kirkwood Community College (33-0) | 22 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 74 |
Kirkwood Community College
| Game Statistics | Mesa Community College | Kirkwood Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (21-77) | (21-49) |
| Field Goal % | 27.3% | 42.9% |
| Rebounds | 51 | 38 |
| Assists | 12 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 17 | 14 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 14 | 17 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 13 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 18 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 5 | 10 |
| Bench Pts | 16 | 15 |
Thursday, March 20, 2025 - 8:00 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger
No. 9 Mesa Women's Basketball fell to No. 1 Kirkwood in the NJCAA DII Women's Basketball Championship Quarter Finals on Thursday.
The Lady T-Birds got off to a quick start as Amya Bekele hit back-to-back shots to give Mesa a 5-0 lead. The Eagles would respond to regain the lead, 8-5 before Ashiian Hunter hit back-to-back three-pointers to give MCC an 11-8 advantage.
Kirkwood's aggressive play in the opening quarter put them at the free throw line early and often as they were able to force eight fouls on Mesa (two on Bella Barrett) which resulted in 10 points from the charity stripe in the quarter.
Towards the end of the quarter Mesa went cold as Kirkwood would go on a 7-1 run to end the period taking a 22-16 advantage into the second period.
Mesa's shooting slump swung the momentum in the Eagles favor as MCC went scoreless from the 3:54 mark left in the first quarter all the way into the second quarter with 7:52 left before Britany Kogbara scored on a layup.
Kirkwood would begin to extend their lead in the second period as they forced Mesa to cough it up on three straight possessions which resulted in six points. Going into the halftime break Mesa trailed, 38-23.
In the first half Mesa had 12 turnovers which resulted in 15 Kirkwood points. While the T-Birds dominated the offensive glass grabbing 13 boards, they were only able to convert those second chances into two points. MCC shot 8-36 (22.2%) from the field in the first 20 minutes.
In the third quarter both teams would exchange blows which favored Kirkwood given the deficit that Mesa found themselves in to start the period. Barrett picked up her third foul quickly into the quarter which sent her to the bench. At the end of the period Mesa trailed Kirkwood, 54-36.
In the fourth quarter the T-Birds would put together a run which would cut the lead to 14 (57-43) with 7:30 left after Alayna Boss and Hunter combined for seven points. Kirkwood would respond with timely big shots and trips to the free throw line to keep the T-Birds from swinging momentum in their favor all the way till the final buzzer as the Eagles won, 74-59.
Mesa dominated the glass winning the rebounding battle, 51- 38 including 27 offensive rebounds which resulted in 28 more shots than Kirkwood. Unfortunately for the T-Birds they were only able to convert those rebounds into 13 second chance points, the same total as the Eagles who had eight offensive rebounds.
The Eagles aggression was critical to picking up 23 points at the free throw line (29 attempts) as Mesa was called for 21 fouls.
MCC's shooting slump could not come at a worse time as the T-Birds 27.3% clip from the floor was their worst all season. Hunter led the way for Mesa as she had 19 points (5-9 3pt).
Mesa will now face No. 7 Lake Land College on Friday in the 5th place bracket.
PC: NJCAA
