Arizona Western Rolls past Community Christian, improves to 9-2

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - Arizona Western College continued its strong early-season form Wednesday night, overpowering Community Christian College 97-66 inside The House.

The Matadors (9-2) exploded out of the gate with a 58-point first half, building a 31-point lead before cruising the rest of the way. Their depth proved overwhelming 14 players saw action and 12 scored, helping AWC dominate the glass 63-35 and outshoot the Saints 44.6% to 35.2%.

Marsai Mason was the spark off the bench, leading AWC with 24 points on eight-of-12 shooting while adding 10 rebounds for a double-double. Engel Gutierrez added 16 points in just 15 minutes, and Mario Brunetto chipped in 15 points and five boards.

Freshman forward Balla Kouyate controlled the interior, grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds to help AWC generate 23 offensive boards and multiple second-chance opportunities.

Community Christian (0-11) was led by a massive performance from Sage Gonzalez, who scored 36 points, including nine threes, and played nearly the entire game. Rusty Arandia added 13 points and seven assists, but the Saints struggled to keep pace after falling behind early.

AWC took a 58-27 lead into halftime and never allowed the gap to close below 25 the rest of the night, using its size and depth to dictate the pace on both ends.

With the win, the Matadors move to 9-2 and continue to look like one of the region's most complete and balanced teams as conference play approaches.