THATCHER, Ariz. - The Arizona Western men's basketball team overcame a 1-12 shooting start and flipped the script on Gillette College for an 88-72 win. The turning point came after a timeout at the 13:40 mark in the first half. Shortly after the timeout, Mario Brunetto buried back-to-back threes to steady the ship for Arizona Western. Illiam Févry's steals and downhill finishes ignited a 14–2 surge for Arizona Western outscored Gillette College 40–23 after the timeout and took a 41-35 lead into the half. Early in the second half, Gillette College closed the deficit to one before Nikola Aleksic drilled a pair of threes to push the Matadors lead to nine at 60-51. Arizona Western never looked back en route to the 88-72 win. The Matadors bench provided four players scoring in double figures, led by Marsai Mason's 17 points and nine rebounds. Mario Brunetto added 16 points in 12 minutes. 

"The turnaround we had in the first half proved poise and belief," Arizona Western head coach Kyle Isaacs said. "This was toughness, togetherness, and desert grind. Defend, run, share it, finish plays."

The win improves Arizona Western to 1-1 on the season. Up next, another road trip, this time to Colorado Northwestern Community College on Wednesday, November 5th. Tip-off scheduled for 6:30 PM MST.