Chandler, AZ-- The Coyote Men's Basketball team opened up 2024 with a conference win over local rival Mesa Community College on Saturday afternoon, narrowly defeating the visiting T-Birds 77-72 in a game that came down to the final minute of play. With roughly 50 seconds remaining and the game tied at 72 all, Will Coates hit a huge 3-point shot right in front of the Coyote Bench to put the home team up three with under a minute left to play. This was only moments after Coates left the game with a lower leg injury. His valiant effort to return to the court paid major dividends as he hit the biggest shot of the game. Tough defense from the Coyotes sealed the deal as Mesa was not able to get a clean look at the basket to try and tie it.
KJ Dunn had 19 points in the game to lead all Coyote scorers and Will Coates finished with 16 points. The Coyotes are 13-1 on the year with their only loss coming on the road against a talented Arizona Western College team. Their tough defense is their calling card but they are also averaging 86 points per game. They finished the Fall semester academically with a strong overall 3.2 GPA and have had three players be named ACCAC Player of the Week. Big things are happening for Coach Silby's squad and the team is eager to continue accomplishing more in 2024.
Their next game is against Pima College on Wednesday in Tucson where they will look to defeat the Aztecs for the second time this season.
