Cochise Men’s Basketball suffers loss in ACCAC opener

Men’s basketball team loses hard-fought ACCAC opener on the road to the #18 ranked Arizona Western Matadors 59-55. 

Apaches make a strong second-half run but could not pull off a win in “The House.”

Cochise men’s basketball team made a strong defense run in the second half but lost a very tight Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) game in “The House” at Arizona Western College. Freshman Stephen Byard scored 20 points with 7 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jalun Trent had 11 points and 6 steals. Sophomore Patrick Samoura had 8 points and a game-high of 17 rebounds in the loss.

Cochise was done 33-22 at halftime but fought back to cut the lead to three points under a minute left. The Apaches made an untimely foul on a contested three-point shot late on the clock, which made it very tough to surge ahead in the final moments.  

Cochise falls 0-1 in ACCAC play and 0-2 overall on the Spring ’21 season. 

“I could not have been more proud of our effort tonight, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Trent came off the bench and competed so hard tonight—it was fun to watch his energy,” said Head Coach Jerry Carrillo. “Samoura did a great job on the glass. 17 rebounds is a great game. We struggled to score the ball and need to be in better physical condition to have more ball movement. We will keep working and honoring the process.”

UP NEXT

Cochise men’s basketball team will host Central Arizona College this coming Saturday, Feb. 6, for a 4 p.m. tip-off in the Stronghold gymnasium on the Douglas Campus. No spectators are permitted. Home games are streamed live on the Cochise College YouTube channel. 

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