Cougar Men’s Basketball Falls to Arizona Western

The South Mountain Community College men's basketball team lost 83-50 to Arizona Western Wednesday in an Arizona Community College Athletic Conference contest on the SMCC campus. Kareem Clark led the Cougars with 18 points and four assists, but the Matadors shot 53.7 percent from the field to secure the victory.

Clark finished 8 of 15 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range in 27 minutes of action. He also had two offensive rebounds and three steals.

Cody Carmichael tied for the team lead with four assists and had two rebounds, two steals and two points. Brandon Savage came off the bench to score seven points and grab four rebounds in 17 minutes of action. Jalen Gant had four points and four rebounds while Johnathan Hunter added five points.

As a team, SMCC shot 37 percent (20 of 54) from the field and 35 percent (7 of 20) from 3-point range. Arizona Western was 29 of 54 from the field and 21 of 23 (91.3 percent) from the free-throw line.

The Matadors held a 43-25 advantage at halftime and built upon that lead by outscoring the Cougars 40-25 in the second half.

South Mountain Community College hits the road for its next two games. On Feb. 15, the Cougars face Pima Community College at 4 p.m., and then on Feb. 19, the Cougars take on Cochise College at 7:30 p.m.