By Corey McMullen
The Aztecs continue to roll, going 11-4 from Dec. 11.
Aztec point guard Alyssa Perez was named ACCAC Division II Player of the Week on Tuesday for the week of Jan. 27-Feb. 2. She averaged 22 points and had a total of 10 rebounds, 8 steals and 5 assists.
Feb. 8: PCC 92, Tohono O’odham CC 66
The Aztecs ruled from opening tipoff and went into halftime up 40-28. Aztec sophomore Alyssa Perez led the charge with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. The Aztecs finished 34 of 40 at the free-throw line. The Aztecs ran away with the game, outscoring Tohono O’odham 32 to 15 in the fourth quarter.
Feb 5: PCC 79, Scottsdale CC 45
Both teams struggled to get any offense working in the first half and went into halftime tied at 21. The Aztecs went on a 13-0 run in the first four-and-a-half-minutes of the third quarter.
Aztec sophomore Hallie Lawson struggled in the first half with only 4 points but shot 5 of 6 from the field, scoring 11 points in the third.
The Aztecs opened the fourth quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 61-28 lead. They outscored the Artichokes 29-19 to end the game.
Feb 1: PCC 75, Central Arizona CC 80
The Aztecs fell to the 13th-ranked Vaqueras. After a rough first half down 46-26, the Aztecs came out strong in the third, outscoring Central Arizona 21-14.
The Aztecs outscored the Vaqueras 28-20 in the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to 3 points with 29 seconds left. Sophomore guard Alyssa Perez scored a season-high 27 points, going 8 for 8 from the free-throw line.
Jan 29: PCC 78, Arizona Western College 71
The Aztecs, trailing by 13 points with 5:08 left in the fourth quarter, came back to beat the Matadors 78-71 in overtime.
The Aztecs outscored Arizona Western 17-10 in the extra period. The Aztecs scored on their first three possessions in overtime, while the Matadors turned the ball over on three of their first four possessions. The Aztecs went 9 for 12 from the foul line in the overtime period.
Down 58-48 with 3:34 left in regulation, the Aztecs went on an 8-0 run to cut it to 58-56. After the Matadors hit a free throw to make it 59-56, freshman Fama Thiam made a basket inside the paint and assisted in sophomore Marlena Arroyo-Plata’s bucket. This gave the Aztecs a 60-59 lead with 21.7 seconds left. The Matadors tied the game at 61-61 to force the overtime.
Jan. 25: PCC 66, Eastern Arizona College 86
The Aztecs fell to the Gila Monsters 86-66. The Gila Monsters went on an 8-0 run late in the first quarter to take the double-digit lead at 21-8. The Aztecs closed the gap to single digits at 36-28 with 1:24 in the second quarter, but Eastern Arizona closed out the quarter with a 6-0 run. The Aztecs trailed 42-28 at halftime.
Jan. 22: PCC 60, Cochise College 69
The No. 17-ranked Aztecs fell 69-60 after trailing by as much as 26 points in the first half. The Aztecs trailed 51-28 after the third quarter but started out the fourth on a 12-2 run to cut it to 53-40 with 4:12 left in the game.
Down 61-49, the Aztecs went on an 11-3 run to cut it to 64-60, forcing the Apaches to call timeout with 30.1 seconds left. Arroyo-Plata capped the run with a 3-point play. The Aztecs scored the first 5 points, but Cochise went on a 23-0 run. The Aztecs scored 6 points in the first and second quarters to trail 34-12 at halftime.
Jan. 18: PCC 80, Glendale CC 53
The No. 18-ranked Aztecs defeated the Gauchos 80-53, earning their 10th win in the last 11 games. After taking a 20-16 lead after the first quarter, the Aztecs held the Gauchos to just two points and took a 38-18 advantage at the break. Sophomore Hallie Lawson led the way with a team-high 20 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.
Jan. 15: PCC 73, Phoenix College 68
The Aztecs defeated Phoenix College 73-68. The Aztecs have won nine of their last 10 games. The Aztecs were outscored 23-8 in the second quarter and trailed 38-24 at the break. They chipped away and trailed 49-44 at the end of the third quarter.
Down 54-46, the Aztecs went on a 12-2 run to take a 58-56 lead, forcing the Bears to call timeout with 5:35 left. Sophomore Perez scored the last 5 points of the run. Up 66-64 with a minute left, freshman Sierra Mich’l scored inside the basket and drew a foul. She completed the 3-point play to put Pima ahead 69-64 with 48.8 seconds left. Lawson drained two free throws to put the Aztecs up 72-65 with under 20 seconds left to help seal it.
Jan. 11: PCC 77, Chandler-Gilbert CC 60
The Aztecs rallied in the third quarter and went on to beat the Coyotes 77-60. The Aztecs trailed 29-24 at halftime, and the Coyotes scored on their first two possessions in the third quarter to put Pima down 33-24. The Aztecs went on a 14-0 run in almost four minutes to take the lead at 38-33. They went up by as much as 11 points at 49-38 and outscored the Coyotes 27-14 in the quarter. Sophomore Hallie Gleason scored a game-high 20 points off the bench as she went 7 for 10 from the floor and 4 for 6 from 3-point range.
Jan. 8: PCC 57, South Mountain CC 42
The Aztecs led at halftime 25-21 and held a 37-31 advantage after the third quarter. The No. 18-ranked Aztecs gave themselves some breathing room in the fourth quarter as they beat the Cougars 57-42. The Aztecs outscored South Mountain 20-11 in the final 10 minutes.
Jan. 4: PCC 49, Mesa CC 64
The Aztecs fell to the Thunderbirds 64-49, snapping their six-game winning streak. Pima only trailed 47-43 after the third quarter but was outscored 17-6 in the fourth. The Aztecs fell behind 19-12 after the first quarter but tied the game at 30-30 at halftime. The Aztecs struggled, going 4 for 23 from the 3-point arc. They also were outrebounded 45-35 for the game.
Jan. 1: PCC 83, United Tribes Technical College 50
The Aztecs defeated United Tribes Technical College 83-50 to finish 3-0 for the invitational. The Aztecs held the Thunderbirds scoreless for eight-and-a-half minutes to start the game to take a 16-0 lead. Freshman Aaliyah Ortiz (Palo Verde HS) hit a half-court shot to end the quarter and Pima led 19-9. The Aztecs led 45-24 at halftime after outscoring the Thunderbirds 26-15 in the second quarter. The Aztecs led by as much as 36 points late in the fourth quarter.