SMCC Men's Basketball Posts Home Victories over Phoenix College, Central Arizona

PHOENIX ---

The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team (13-16, 7-12 ACCAC) defeated Phoenix College 74-61 on Feb. 18 and Central Arizona College 78-70 on Feb. 19 in a pair of Arizona Community College Athletic Conference home games. Freshman Darien Allen led the Cougars with 20 points in the win over the Bears, and sophomore Elijah Melendez added 14 as SMCC overcame a 35-30 halftime deficit. Against the Vaqueros, Melendez scored a team-high 25 points as SMCC rallied in the second half for their second-straight home win.

Phoenix College Recap

Trailing 35-30 after 20 minutes, SMCC claimed the second half (44-26) to defeat Phoenix College 74-61. The Cougars shot 44.8 percent from the field and made nine 3-pointers. They grabbed 40 rebounds, dished out 15 assists, blocked nine shots and had 13 steals.

Allen finished 10-for-14 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds in 26 minutes. He added an assist, a steal and two blocked shots and is averaging 13.5 points per game this season.

Melendez was 5-of-13 from the field and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. He added two rebounds, an assist and two steals in 25 minutes. He leads the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game in 25 contests this season.

Sophomore Isaiah Camon came off the bench to score 11 points and knock down a pair of 3-pointers. Jalen Smith and Demonte Demore had seven points and four rebounds, and Shawn Black posted five points and five rebounds.

Central Arizona Recap

SMCC trailed 35-30 at halftime but won the second half 48-35 to post a 78-70 win against Central Arizona. The Cougars shot 48.4 percent from the field and knocked down 11 3-pointers. They grabbed 43 rebounds, dished out 18 assists, blocked eight shots and had nine steals.

Melendez was 9-of-17 from the field and made a season-high five 3-pointers. He added four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 25 minutes.

Demore finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He added five boards, two assists, a steal and a block in 26 minutes. Allen had a team-high eight rebounds and scored eight points.

Davion Stringer scored eight points off the bench and added two rebounds and two assists, while Camon added seven points, four rebounds and two assists. Black had five rebounds, and Cam Gwyn scored nine points on three 3-pointers in the first half.