PHOENIX, Ariz. – After rallying from a second-half double-digit deficit to lead by three at the 7:30 minute mark, Argo men's basketball fell to the No. 12 Arizona Christian Firestorm on Monday afternoon, 98-86.
 
Brandon Cotton and Jalen Shepard both led the Argos offensively scoring 22 points each, while Austin Starr followed with 18 points. Shepard grabbed six boards, while also tallying five steals and five assists. Jaxen Hashley pulled down 13 rebounds for the Argos, while also tallying 12 points to garner the only double-double of the game.
 
The Argos and Firestorm battled to an 8-8 tie to open up the match. Two free throws from Shepard gave the Argos a 10-8 lead. The Argos would go on a 9-4 run to lead by seven, 19-12, but the Firestorm were tied the game back up at the nine-minute mark, 21-21. Arizona Christian would take the lead and maintain the advantage for the rest of the period, leading by as much as 10 before Austin Starr knocked down a three-pointer with five seconds on the clock to cut the Argos deficit to seven, 46-39.
 
The Firestorm opened the second half with five straight points to push their lead back to double-digits, 51-39. Over the next five minutes of clock, the Argos slowly chipped away at Arizona Christian's lead until the Argos tied things up at 59, following a 20-8 run. The two teams would battle to three more ties before the match sat at a 75-75 standstill with eight minutes to go. Austin Starr netted a three to put the Argos up 78-75, but the Firestorm went on a 23-8 run to close out the match, 98-86.
 
Up Next
The Argos will close out the Cactus Classic on Tuesday as they take on the Embry-Riddle Eagles at 4 p.m.