Hargrove fuels second-half run to help Matadors defeat Coyotes

YUMA – The Arizona Western Matadors Men’s Basketball team (19-6, 125) extended its winning streak to four games with a 76-50 win over Chandler-gilbert (19-6, 11-6) on Saturday afternoon at the House Gymnasium.

For a second consecutive game, Marquis Hargrove dropped in 27 points, tying his career-high 27 points and hitting five three-pointers to help the Matadors pull away from the Coyotes.

After trailing early in the first half, the Matadors used a 7-0 run to build a 15-6 lead before the Coyotes trimmed the lead to three points at 15-12. Markees Williams pushed the lead to 26-14 with a corner three-pointer. Marquis Hargrove hit a three from the wing to give the Matadors their largest first-half lead at 29-16. Chandler-gilbert made a quick run prior to a Hargrove layup that sent the Matadors into the locker room leading 34-23 at the half.

Williams hit his second three of the game early in the second half, pushing the lead to 44-30 but Chandler-gilbert used a run to cut the Matadors’ lead to 5246. With the Matadors leading 57-48, Hargrove went on to score the Matadors’ next 13 points, going on a 13-0 run of his own, which included three three-pointers to give the Matadors a 70-48 lead. The Matadors allowed just two points over the final three minutes, holding the Coyotes to 50 points.

Evan Butts finished the game as the Matadors’ second-leading scorer, scoring 17 points while Williams finished with 10 points.

The Matadors are back at home on Wednesday, February 15, hosting Pima at 5:30 pm. Tickets are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for seniors (65 and over) and military. Arizona Western students and employees receive free admission with their AWC ID.