Arizona Western’s Men’s Hoops season ends in tight loss to Eastern Arizona

Matadors fall short in Region I Final as last-second three-pointer misses the mark

THATCHER, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Arizona Western College Matadors saw their season come to a close in the Region I Final, falling 66-63 to No. 17 Eastern Arizona Saturday night at Guitteau Gymnasium.

Arizona Western (23-8) battled until the final buzzer, nearly forcing overtime. Down three in the closing seconds, the Matadors had a chance to tie, but missed a contested three-pointer as time expired.

Eastern Arizona (29-3) jumped out to an early 8-2 lead before the Matadors found their rhythm. A jumper from Boubacar Diatta gave Arizona Western a brief 19-17 lead, but Eastern Arizona responded, taking a 33-29 advantage into halftime.

The Gila Monsters built their largest lead of the game at 52-42 midway through the second half. However, Arizona Western clawed back, cutting the deficit to five after a layup from Edwin Suarez with just over three minutes to play.

Cam Atkinson kept the Matadors alive, hitting a three-pointer to make it 62-60 with under two minutes left. He later knocked down a mid-range jumper to bring Arizona Western within one at 64-63 with 12 seconds to go.

But Eastern Arizona iced the game at the free-throw line, and the Matadors' last-second three-pointer fell short.

Edwin Suarez led the Matadors with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Atkinson also scored 19, making all three of Arizona Western's three-pointers. Kaleb Myers added 10 points, and Diatta provided eight off the bench.

Despite the tough loss, Arizona Western finishes the season with a strong 23-8 record, and with a younger roster they'll look to be a dominate force again next season.