After coming up short in the NJCAA Division II championship game in 2011 and last season, Pima Community College is finally bringing the title trophy back to Tucson.
No. 4 Pima (30-4) ended the season with an 18-game winning streak, capped by the most significant in program history Saturday — a 64-58 triumph over No. 6 Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kirkwood (30-5) at Hickory, N.C. in the championship game.
Kiley Sours-Miller had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Melicia Nelson again was a triple-double threat with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
Reigne Waugh had nine points, seven coming from the free-throw line.
All three were named to the NJCAA Division II All-Tournament Team.
Nelson, the NJCAA Region I, Division II Tournament Most Valuable Player two weeks, earned the same honor for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
Todd Holthaus, Pima’s coach for the last 19 years, earned the Coach of the Tournament award.
Pima rallied in the fourth quarter after trailing 46-42 with 9:17 left.
Waugh started the momentum converting a 3-point play with 9:02 left.
Nelson put the Aztecs ahead 52-50 with 6:28 left on a layup.
Pima’s defense shut down Kirkwood, holding the Eagles without a field goal for almost six minutes.
Kirkwood missed seven consecutive shots and committed two turnovers in that span.
In the meantime, Pima built a 58-51 lead with 2:21 remaining.
Whitney Sullivan ended the dry spell for Kirkwood with 1:59 left with a 3-pointer that cut the lead to 58-54.
Two free throws by Olivia Wren with 1:10 left narrowed the lead further to 58-56.
Nelson responded with a clutch jumper in the lane on Pima’s ensuing possession.
After a missed attempt by Kirkwood, Waugh was fouled with 20 seconds left and made one of two free throws to put the Aztecs ahead 61-56.
Erianna Moeschter converted a layup with 15 seconds left to cut the lead to 61-58.
Waugh was then fouled intentionally from behind after breaking free toward the basket on an inbounds pass. She made one of two free throws and Pima took possession under its basket.
Sours-Miller was fouled with 11 seconds left, and she made both free throws to put Pima ahead 64-58.
Kirkwood had one last gasp with Bra’Ja Torry at the free-throw line with 8 seconds left, but she missed both free throws.
In its previous two appearances in the national championship game, Pima lost to Monroe (N.Y.) College 78-74 in 2010-11 and 75-67 to Overland Park (Kan.) Johnson County last season.
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