Mesa College Tops Vermilion, 43-40

Shannon Thompson came off the bench to hit eight straight baskets and lead the Mesa College women’s basketball team to a 43-40 first-round victory over Vermilion (Minn.) College in the seventh-annual Mesa Invitational at Mesa College Wednesday night.

Mesa (7-4), which trailed by as many as 12 points in the contest, went ahead for good, 41-40, on a Thompson shot from the corner with 2:14 remaining.

In other first-round games, Santa Monica defeated Dixie (Utah), 96-62; American River knocked off Grossmont, 65-41, and Mesa (Ariz.) beat Long Beach City College, 79-61.

The host Olympians will face Santa Monica tonight at 8 o’clock in the championship round semifinals. Mesa (Ariz.) will meet American River at 6 p.m. in the other semifinal.