If you were to show tonight's box score to anyone who knows basketball without letting them see the final score, they would have thought the Park University Gilbert basketball team lost by 40 points ... minimum. But this was a game where stats tell a story, but not the whole story.  Despite being beaten decicively in almost every category, the Buccaneers only lost this contest by two points 59-57 to Northern New Mexico College and could have won if they had cleaned up a few mistakes. 

"Everything we saw tonight, we had seen on the game film," said Park Gilbert head coach Jeff Fore. "We knew they could rebound on the offensive end and we knew who their dangerous shooters were.  We did not do what we needed to do to minimize the strengths in their game."

The first half produced another slow start by the Bucs. They only scored 17 points in the first 20 minutes, shooting 31 percent from the field.  They trailed by 10.  The second hald saw Park Gilbert make a furious comeback starting in the third period where they came all the way back and took a 32-31 lead briefly.  The Eagles righted the ship and retook the lead for the remainder of the third frame and took a three-point advantage into the final quarter. 

At this point it became a see-saw battle with Park Gilbert cutting the deficit or tying the ball game followed by Northern New Mexico retaking the lead.  Finally, the Bucs took a four point lead 52-48 and looked to be in control.  But six turnovers after taking the lead undid all of the good will they had accumulated to that point. The Eagles where then able to knock down enough of their free throws down the stretch to hold off any thoughts of a rally at the end for the Buccaneers. 

Ultimately, rebounds, second chance opportunities and turnovers made the difference in this contest.  Park Gilbert was out rebounded by 21 (62-41), Half of those Eagles rebounds (31) came on the offensive glass.  This led to Northern New Mexico taking 28 more shots than the Buccaneers.  What kept Park Gilbert in the game was the fact Northern New Mexico shot 24 percent from the floor.

Freshman guard Elise Young had a double-double with 31 points and 11 rebounds  Her 31 points led all scorers and accounted for 54 percent of the Bucs points. Unforenuately it was offset by her 11 turnovers. Mai Aguigui tacked on another 15 points 

The Bucs have a chance to redeem themselves tomorrow afternoon as they get another shot at Northen New Mexico at 12 p.m. at The Nest.