• Pima CC tops DMACC in fifth-place game, 98-81
• Bears beat Milwaukee Area TC, 90-68, to advance to fifth-place game
• DMACC's Kaden Tate named to the all-tournament team

The DMACC men's basketball team closed the season at 33-3 after dropping a 98-81 decision to Pima Community College (PCC) in the fifth-place game March 21 in the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Men's Basketball Championship at Danville, Ill.

The Bears, the tournament's top seed, saw their hopes for the school's second national championship evaporate behind an 86-69 loss to eight-seeded Ellsworth Community College (ECC) in the quarterfinals, DMACC handed Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) a 90-68 loss in the consolation bracket on March 20 o advance to the fifth-place game.

PCC used a high-scoring second half to come away with the win. The Aztecs trailed the Bears 47-45 at halftime but shot 59 percent from the field in outscoring the Bears 53-34 in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Isiah Hill's three-point basket got PCC a 56-54 lead with 15 minutes, 28 seconds to play and the Aztecs used an 18-2 run to push their advantage to 74-56 with just more than nine minutes to play.

Freshman Brent Taylor of Flossmoor, Ill., led four DMACC players in double figures with 18 points. Sophomore Kaden Tate of Pearland, Texas, had 16 points and freshman Hunter Gawron of Skokie, Ill., and sophomore Rylan Smith of Lincoln, Neb., contributed 14 and 11 points respectively.

PCC, which closed the season at 36-1, was led by Mason Hunt with 30 points, Hill with 24 and Isaac Johnson with 20. PCC's only loss of the season was a 78-77 decision against Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) in the quarterfinals.

DMACC shot 50 percent, making 28 of 56 field goal attempts. The Bears were 9-of-26 from three-point range and 16-of-25 from the free throw line.

PCC made 38 of 68 field goal attempts for 56 percent. The Aztecs drained 12 of 31 shots from beyond the arc and were 10-of-13 from the free throw line.

PCC had a 29-24 advantage on the boards with Tate's six rebounds leading the Bears. Taylor and freshman Kiki Deng of Des Moines had four assists apiece and freshman Landen Norris of Knoxville added three. Tate topped the Bears in steals with three and also had two blocked shots.

Smith led six DMACC players in double figures with 17 points in the Bears' win over MATC. Tate added 15 points, Gawron scored 14, Taylor had 12 and Norris and freshman Malcolm Bragg of Newark, N.J. contributed 11 points each.

DMACC had a 43-30 lead at halftime and put the game away in the second half.

The Bears shot 48 percent, hitting 37 of 77 field goal attempts, including 11-of-37 from three-point range. They were 5-of-7 from the free throw line.

MATC, which got 21 points from Jayden Hackett, made 26 of 60 field goal attempts for 43 percent. The Stormers were 6-of-19 from three-point range and 10-of-11 at the free throw line.

DMACC had a 38-27 advantage in rebounding with Tate's 12 rebounds leading the Bears. Deng added seven and Gawron came away with six. Bragg led the Bears in assists with five and Taylor added four. Tate topped DMACC in steals with three.

Tate was named to the all-tournament team announced at the conclusion of the championship game. He scored 46 points and grabbed 42 rebounds in DMACC's four tournament games.

In addition to their 33-3 record, the Bears set school records for most wins in a season and most consecutive wins in a season with 26.

DMACC was one of three schools from the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) to place in the top six in the tournament. ECC was second and ICCC finished fourth. DMACC swept both teams during the regular season in winning its third consecutive ICCAC regular-season championship with a 20-0 record.