LOCAL GLANCE (Feb. 9): JUCO Basketball, JUCO Softball, JUCO Baseball

AWC couldn't get it going early on in their 69-55 loss Saturday afternoon to No. 3 Central Arizona.

Imari Lyons was the lone Matador in double figures with 14 points while Jazmin Strane and Samantha Wallace each contributed eight points.

AWC's Jacy Pagala left the game in the first half with a head injury. She would later return for a few minutes but was re-injured and then did not enter the game after that.

“Central came out very aggressive early and we came out soft,” said AWC coach Patrick Cunningham. “Once we lost Jacy, that really put us behind the 8-ball, but I thought we did a good job competing in the second half.”

The Matadors never possessed a lead in the loss which broke their nine-game winning streak.

Men fall to Central Arizona

The Matadors couldn't climb out of a 32-15 halftime hole and ended up losing to Central Arizona 66-59 Saturday afternoon.

AWC had two players in double figures including Aaseem Dixon with 18 points and Marvin Whitt with 12.

“We told them before the game that our guys just can't keep digging holes for themselves in the first half like they've been doing when they play the top teams in the conference,” said AWC coach Charles Harral. “That's what we did tonight, and we just couldn't make up the ground. I thought we played well in the second half, but I told our guys after the game that we have to get tougher before we have to face this team again.”

The Matadors out-scored Central 44-34 in the second half, but were never able to regain the lead. The loss snapped a 10-game Matador winning streak.

JUCO SOFTBALL

Errors plague Mats in double header

The Matadors defense gave up eight unearned runs off of seven errors in their two games against Scottsdale Saturday leading to a 9-3 loss and a 9-5 loss.

Briana VanSickle was the losing pitcher in game one, giving up nine runs, five of which were unearned, in 4 2/3 innings.

The lone offensive star for the Matadors was Samantha Mendoza, who went 2 for 3 with a solo home run.

The long ball plagued AWC in the second game. AWC gave up three home runs including two to Taylor Benally who went 2 for 4 with five RBIs.

Matador starting pitcher Jaclyn Pierson fell to 0-2 as a starter after giving up seven runs off six hits in 3 2/3 innings. Only three of her runs were earned.

AWC will take on No. 16 Yavapai Tuesday in its conference home opener.

JUCO BASEBALL

AWC swept by Scottsdale

AWC lost both sides of its double header 4-2 and 8-3 to Scottsdale Saturday.

Jose Rosales-Rodarte earned the loss after giving up two unearned runs in relief.

The Matadors scored two runs in the fourth inning, but gave those back to Scottsdale giving up two runs in the fifth and sixth innings.

AWC squandered other scoring opportunities, leaving the bases loaded in the third inning. Scottsdale retired the last nine Matador batters of the game.

In game two, the Matadors were down 3-2 after four innings when they allowed a five-run fifth inning that gave winning pitcher Josh Taylor all the support he needed.

The Matadors left the bases loaded two more times in game two, once in the fifth and once in the seventh.