Fighting Cacti Battle to the Final Buzzer at the Battle of the Desert Tournament

The Copper Mountain College Men's Basketball team came up just short in a thrilling 78–77 loss to No. 11–ranked Palomar College at the Battle of the Desert Tournament on Friday night.

In a game filled with intensity and momentum swings, the Fighting Cacti held their own against one of the top programs in the state. Copper Mountain's defensive pressure consistently disrupted the Comets' rhythm, but missed opportunities at the free-throw line proved costly. The Cacti went 10-for-18 from the stripe, with seven of those misses coming in the second half.

Despite the setbacks, the Fighting Cacti continued to fight. Sophomore Makail Cotto led the way with 17 points, while Tyrece Rose added key baskets down the stretch, including a go-ahead layup with 28 seconds remaining to give Copper Mountain a one-point lead. However, with five seconds left, Palomar's No. 4 hit a spinning jumper that just beat the clock to retake the lead.

On the final possession, Rose managed to get a clean look from about 24 feet, but his potential game-winner hit the front of the rim and bounced out as time expired.

Head Coach JJ Santa Cruz praised his team's effort, saying, "Our guys showed incredible heart tonight. We played hard and competed until the very end against a top-tier team. We'll learn from this and get better."

The Fighting Cacti move to 1–1 on the season and will travel to Mt. San Antonio College next week to compete in the Gene Victor Classic, opening play against Glendale College on November 6 at 5:00 p.m.