YUMA, Ariz. – Arizona Western College men's basketball (10-4) fell to Northwest College 79-70 in the Chapman Automotive Winter Classic on Wednesday night, despite a dominant effort on the boards and a strong double-double from Marsai Mason. The setback underscored the importance of limiting turnovers and capitalizing from the free-throw line.

The Matadors found themselves trailing early as Northwest pieced together a crucial first-half surge, highlighted by a Trey Rinn three-pointer that put the visitors up 29-15 with just over six minutes left before the break. Arizona Western went into halftime down 37-28, unable to overcome shooting woes and a rash of turnovers that allowed Northwest to maintain the lead throughout.

Despite consistently dominating the glass—outrebounding Northwest by a staggering 47-27 margin, including 19 offensive boards—the Matadors struggled to convert key chances and shot only 43.5 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from three-point range. Free-throw opportunities were also missed, as Arizona Western went just 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) at the line. Turnovers proved costly as well, with the Matadors committing 17, which Northwest converted into 19 points.

A late rally gave Arizona Western a shot down the stretch. With under a minute to play, Matt Anglo sank a clutch three-pointer to trim the deficit to five, but Northwest's Mateo Trujillo responded at the line, hitting free throws to restore a comfortable margin and secure the outcome.

Marsai Mason led the charge with a massive double-double, tallying 14 points, 16 rebounds—including seven offensive—and two blocks on 7-of-14 shooting. His energy kept Arizona Western within striking distance on both ends. Engel Gutierrez powered the offense with a game-high 27 points, connecting on four shots from beyond the arc over 28 minutes of action. Anglo contributed 10 points, four assists and two rebounds, hitting two of four attempts from deep.

Bench play was a bright spot, as the reserves outscored Northwest's bench 25-18. However, the Matadors could not overcome Northwest's red-hot shooting from the perimeter, as the visitors shot 53.3 percent from deep and 52.0 percent overall.

Up Next

Arizona Western looks to bounce back and claim the final game of the Chapman Automotive Winter Classic, hosting Monroe University on Friday, Dec. 19th. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. MST.