Matador basketball hosts Mesa
(5) Mesa at Arizona Western
Time: 7 p.m. today, The House
Media: 560-AM KBLU, www.azwestern.edu/athletics, Time-Warner Ch. 74.
Last game: The Matadors beat South Mountain 70-61 on Saturday; The Thunderbirds beat Scottsdale 68-51 on Saturday.
Records: AWC (13-5 overall, 6-3 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference); Mesa (13-3 overall, 7-2 ACCAC)
Players to watch: After missing the last game with an injury, Imari Lyons is expected to be back in the starting rotation tonight, averaging 9.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game. ... Madi Austin is coming off a huge game for the Thunderbirds, scoring 22 against Scottsdale.
The lowdown: The Matadors have won four straight and 20 of the last 25 meetings between the two teams. ... Mesa won the NJCAA Region I Division II title last year and finished fifth at the national tournament. ... Mesa is allowing just 45.2 points per game. ... This is the last game of the first half of ACCAC play, with the Matadors tied with Eastern Arizona for the third and final playoff spot, though the Gila Monsters won the first meeting. ... Lisette Longomo missed the first 10 games of the year, has since played the last four for AWC, but still doesn't have a field goal.
(5) Mesa at Arizona Western
Time: 7 p.m. today, The House
Media: 560-AM KBLU, www.azwestern.edu/athletics, Time-Warner Ch. 74.
Last game: The Matadors beat South Mountain 84-72; The Thunderbirds beat Scottsdale 73-48
Records: AWC (14-4 overall, 9-1 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference); Mesa (14-4 overall, 9-1 ACCAC)
Players to watch: Marvin Whitt scored 17 points in each game against the Thunderbirds last year. ... Eric Hunt is second on the team in scoring (11.4) and rebounding (6.2) for the Thunderbirds.
The lowdown: The matchup had been even in recent years, but the Matadors have won three straight. ... The winner tonight will end the first half of the season tied for the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Region I Division I playoff race. ... Mesa has won by an average of 73.6-59.4 this year, while AWC's average margin is 71.8-65.2.
— Edward Carifio
