Matadors come from behind to beat Cochise in regular season home finale

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The Arizona Western College Matadors Men's Basketball team (20-7, 11-5) closed out their regular season home slate with a thrilling 56-52 win over Cochise College (19-9, 11-5) on Saturday afternoon at the House Gymnasium, moving them into a tie for second place in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC).

Matt Anglo was the standout performer for the Matadors, leading all scorers with 21 points in 33 minutes of action. His clutch play helped the team overcome an early deficit and eventually pull off a hard-fought comeback victory in the regular season finale on their home court.

Cochise jumped out to a strong start, building a 12-point lead in the first half. However, the Matadors battled back, with Cochise going scoreless for over five minutes during the first half. Arizona Western closed out the half with a 7-0 run, cutting the Apaches' lead to just three points at 27-24.

In the second half, the Matadors found their rhythm. Engel Gutierrez gave Arizona Western their first lead of the game at 38-37 with a timely three-pointer.

From there, the two teams traded leads in a tightly contested finish. The turning point came when Anglo drained a three-pointer during a 10-0 run, putting the Matadors ahead 48-43 with just under five minutes left.

As the game wound down, Edwin Suarez made an important contribution, tipping in a shot with 23 seconds remaining to give the Matadors a 52-50 advantage that they wouldn't relinquish.

Kaleb Myers also played a crucial role in the win, finishing with 11 points, while Suarez grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds, dominating the glass throughout the game.

With the victory, the Matadors now head into their final stretch of the regular season, traveling to Coolidge, Ariz., to take on Central Arizona College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.