Yuma, AZ — The Cochise College women’s basketball team was on the road again for the second week in a row. The team played three games at the prestigious Arizona Western Tournament. Cochise routed the first game against Brookdale 94-40. Sophia Elenga led the way with 14 points and 5 rebounds, shooting 7-10 from the field. Elenga wasn’t the only star for Cochise as Rauline Martinez also made 14 points and 4 steals, while hitting all 4 of her three-point field goals. Jordyn Penniman had 12 points and 6 assists, and Ciara Fields chipped in 10 points. Cochise shot 58% from the field as a team and won the battle of the boards 37-22. Teamwork and defense were the theme of the game as Cochise dished out 22 assists and collected 22 steals.
Next up for Cochise was a game versus Cetys, which ended in an 80-42 victory for Cochise. Jordyn Penniman poured in 15 points while Rauline Martinez aided with 11 points and 6 assists. Coulter Bowlen made her presence felt with 9 points and 7 rebounds, but the story of the game was Tatyana McFarland. While she chipped in 8 points, McFarland nearly made school history by grabbing 17 rebounds, falling just one shy of breaking the school record. Her prowess on the glass helped Cochise win the rebounding battle 68-20, in route to shooting 42% from the field.
The third and final game took place on Saturday, which saw the team’s winning streak come to an end at the hands of New Mexico JC, 80-52. Freshman forward JuWanna Milton tallied 17 points thanks to her making 13 of her 14 free throw attempts. Tatyana McFarland added 11 points and 9 rebounds. “The third game of the weekend was a tough loss,” said head coach Laura Hughes, “but we will get better and learn from it.”
Cochise now has a record of 4-1 and will kick off conference play with a game versus Mesa CC on Wednesday.