The Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team receive 19 points from Laura Montiel and the Cougar women never trailed in the second half in posting a 65-53 win over Otero College to open Region IX South Conference play.

                WNCC will continue conference action with a game on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Trinidad State College.

                Friday's game was the first time the Cougars were back at Cougar Palace playing in two months and the Cougars had a rough first half. Otero came out hot and led 8-3 and later 17-9 on an Itxasne Fernandez triple. WNCC closed out the first quarter with a 3-pointer by Zozefina Sipolina and an old-fashioned 3-point play by Montiel to trail 17-15 after one.

                The second quarter saw Otero jump to a 30-21 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Ariadna Paster and Alyssa Trujillo. WNCC woke up in the final two minutes of the half as they went on an 8-0 run that included a 3-pointer by Lidia Hernandez to slice the deficit to on=e, 30-29. After a bucket by Otero, WNCC tied the contest at halftime at 32-32 as Helena Kuck nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

                The third quarter saw WNCC score the first seven points to lead 39-32. Otero cut the deficit to one points a couple times, the last time at 44-43. WNCC closed out the third on back-to-back 3-pointers from Kuck and Montiel to lead 50-43.

                The final quarter saw Otero score the first five points to come within two, 50-48. The Cougars responded with seven straight to lead 57-48 after a triple by Adelina Urtane. WNCC closed out the came on an 8-3 run to get the win.

                WNCC shot 43 percent from the field in the contest and were 31 percent from behind the arc. The Cougars were also 7-of-11 from the charity stripe.

                Otero shot 39 percent for the game and were 10-of-24 from the 3-point line, while connecting on just 3-of-3 free throws.

                Montiel led the Cougars with 19 points followed by Urtane with 14. All of Urtane's points came in the second half.          

Otero                   17  15 11 10 – 53
WNCC                14 18 18 15 – 65
WNCC
Lidia Hernandez 7, Helena Kuck 9, Asia Mitchell 4, Laura Montiel 19, Adelina Urtane 14, Zozefina Sipolina 7, Nataly Dunka 5.