ODESSA, Tex. - The Arizona Western College Women's Basketball team (1-1) put together a furious second-half rally but came up just short, falling 78-74 to Midland College in a non-conference matchup Wednesday afternoon at the OC Sports Center in Odessa, Texas.

Mable Doumbia paced the Matadors with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting, along with four rebounds and four assists. Her efficient scoring and presence inside were central to Arizona Western's second-half surge.

The Matadors found themselves trailing 36-23 at halftime after a slow start and entered the second half staring down a 15-point deficit late in the third quarter. Arizona Western battled back with a 12-2 run sparked by defensive stops, transition points and key three-pointers from Kimora Jenkins, trimming Midland's lead to 10 heading to the fourth. The Matadors outscored Midland 27-24 in the third and 24-18 in the final quarter, closing the gap to four points in the game's final seconds.

In the closing stretch, Doumbia completed an and-one layup with just over a minute remaining to keep Arizona Western within striking distance. Moments later, Chen Pan buried a clutch three-pointer with 20 seconds left, but Midland managed to hold on and secure the win as the Matadors' rally ran out of time. Arizona Western finished the night shooting 51 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc, producing 28 points off the bench.

"I'm really proud of our kids to come out of halftime and make a push," Arizona Western head coach Chelsea Dewey said. "A really young group that struggled with the game on the line and ended up in turnovers. It's about the process and making sure our best game is in March and not right now. We're against really good competition and hopefully we're ready to compete each and every night." 

Kimora Jenkins filled the stat sheet with 13 points, six rebounds and four steals, hitting three three-pointers. Garance Soulas added 12 points, four assists and four rebounds. Aline Mastelic chipped in eight points on 4-of-5 shooting with two steals, while Pan contributed five points and three steals off the bench.

Next for #17 Arizona Western, a 3:00 PM MST tip-off versus #9 New Mexico Junior College this Thursday, November 6th, at the OC Sports Center in Odessa, Texas.