Jaleesa Avery and Zeynep Canbaz combined for 46 points as the Western Nebraska Community College women's basketball team earned a come-from-behind 71-65 win over Otero Junior College in a Region IX South conference game Friday night at Cougar Palace.

                Avery finished with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Canbaz had 22 points and seven rebounds. Avery also added three blocks and three assists to her stat line.

                The freshman from Cherokee Trail High in Aurora, Colorado, said after a while she was feeling it out on the court.

                "After a while I was feeling it," she said. "We were all were looking for the extra pass and they were looking in for me. I am out there for them so it was a good night overall."

                The Cougars were definitely feeling it in the fourth quarter, where they outscored Otero 25-10 unlike the third quarter where the Rattlers outscored WNCC 25-13. Otero even had a nine-point lead on a couple occasions in the third, leading the Cougars after three 55-46.

                The fourth quarter the Cougars settled down and did what they needed to do.

                "The fourth quarter we really worked on executing the offense," Avery said. "We got the ball inside and we were finishing. We were just doing the little things to get the lead again."

                WNCC started slow in the game, too. The two squads were tied at 15 after the first quarter. WNCC managed to outscore Otero 18-15 in the second to take a slim 33-30 lead at halftime.

                WNCC fell behind by 10 early in the fourth, 58-48. It was then the Cougars came back, outscoring 14-2 to grab a 62-58 lead behind back-to-back buckets by Sladjana Rakovic and eight points from Avery, including a 3-pointer with 5:12 to play to give the Cougars the lead at 59-58.

                Otero came back to take a 63-62 lead but Canbaz got a steal and a bucket and then Kellie Gaston hit a big 3-pointer with 1:30 to play to put WNCC up 67-63.

                WNCC had just three players in double figures. Avery's 24 led WNCC followed by 22 by Canbaz and 13 from Rakovic.

                WNCC will be back in action Saturday when they host Trinidad State Junior College at 2 p.m. in another Region IX South contest. Trinidad State fell to Eastern Wyoming College Friday night 62-55.

                Avery said they need to come out with more intensity to start the game against Trinidad.

                "We have to come out stronger," she said. "We came out a little slow and let them stay with us. So we have to come out stronger tomorrow and be ready for what they bring at us."

Otero                    15 15 25 10 – 65

WNCC (10-3)      15 18 13 25 – 71

OTERO

Taylor Hittler 5, Lucia Serrano 8, Savannah Madrid-Andrews 28, Brooklyn Waddles 3, Alba Vera 4, Adrianna Rios 6, Heather Edwards 6, Thabitha Dwunfour 5.

WNCC

Melisa Kadic 2, Sladjana Rakovic 13, Jaleesa Avery 24, Olivia Wiberg 4, Kellie Gaston 3, Zeynep Canbaz 22, Bree Paulson 3.