YUMA, Ariz. - The lone returning player on Arizona Western's women's basketball team from last year helped lead the way in #17 Arizona Western's 71-58 win over the Aztecs of Pima Community College on Friday night. Mably Doumbia, the only returner from last year's national tournament qualifying team, led the Lady Matadors with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Newcomers Kimora Jenkins and Jessica Liena also added 14 points each in the victory. Liena tallied nine rebounds, just missing her own double-double. The Lady Matadors led by eight points after the first quarter and 14 at the half. 

"Our kids played really hard and I'm really proud of that," Arizona Western head coach Chelsea Dewey said. "At times we were very sloppy and didn't have good possessions but, first game jitters, you can always expect that and when you come out on top, you still reward the kids on how hard they worked."

The Aztecs, ranked #2 in the NJCAA DII pre-season polls, made a run in the third quarter and nearly erased the 14-point deficit before Arizona Western regrouped and regained control. 

"They're a well-coached team and I knew that was going to come out of the half," Dewey said. "We came out a little flat, we'll get them ready to go to make sure we play a full 40 minutes."

The Lady Matadors will now pack their bags for a long road trip in Texas for the Wrangler Classic which begins Wednesday, November 5th, against Midland College. The game will be played at Odessa College. The Lady Matadors will then face New Mexico Junior College on November 6th, followed by the tournament host Odessa College on November 7th.

"I think this is good momentum going into the road trip," Dewey said. "We know we're going into a gauntlet and we just have to take it one game at a time. I'm excited to see how we compete, how we battle and just the competition we'll face, I love putting our kids against the best of the best."