Dawson’s 11 Game Winning Streak Snapped
The Buccaneers of Dawson Community College went cold on Wednesday afternoon in their final game of the Pima Aztec Classic and lost 89-63 to Cochise College. The Bucs came into the game 14-1 on the season and Cochise was 15-1. Both teams had won their first two games in the tournament in convincing fashion, but it was Cochise who proved to be the better team on this day. They shot 55% from the field and 48% from the 3-point line while holding DCC to 36% from the field and 18% from the 3-point line, including a woeful second half which saw Dawson go 1-17 from long range.
“We fought well for a good chunk of the game, but when they stretched the lead to double digits in the second half, we started forcing some shots to try and get back in the game and then it kind of snowballed on us,” explained Dawson Coach Joe Peterson. “We haven’t been in that position in the past two years so didn’t really know how to react. This will be a great learning experience for us. Cochise is a really good team; the best we faced so far this year. They are tough and play incredibly hard and have a great balance of shooting, driving and inside game. We play games like this to make us better and prepare us for conference and the post-season. This game will definitely do that!”
The first half was really competitive with two pretty evenly matched teams with similar styles going head to head. The lead changed six times until Cochise moved ahead by seven points heading into the break. Cochise shot it more efficiently but Dawson capitalized on extra possessions from offensive rebounds and forcing turnovers.
Cochise blew the game wide open about halfway through the second half as the Dawson shots kept clanging off the rim and Cochise took advantage. They shot it well and controlled the board with a 50-34 advantage, thanks to a lot of missed field goals by Dawson.
Cochise had five guys in double figures, led by Jay Rodgers 22. They also had two guys with double digit rebounds, Jalun Trent and Oscar Cluff. Jajuan Tot led Dawson with 21 points, 5 assists and 4 steals.
The loss snapped DCC’s 11 game winning streak and dropped them to 14-2 on the season. It was the final non-conference game for both teams, as they prepare for conference games coming up in January.
