Ottumwa, IA—Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek) connected on all eight of his shots en route to a team-high 18 points on Saturday as the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team defeated Mid Michigan Community College 82-47 at the Reed Overhead Doors Classic on the campus of Indian Hills Community College. The Tigers improve to 2-1 on the year.
Carter got off to a fast start in the first half, scoring 12 points on 5-5 shooting. As a team, the Tigers shot 56.7 percent from the floor in the first half while connecting on four three-point attempts. Freshman Guilherme Verardo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Esporte Pinheiros) hit three three-point shots in the first 20 minutes and finished the day with 13 points.
On the other end of the court, the Tigers limited Mid Michigan to just 30.4 percent shooting in the first half, including 1-11 from long range. The Lakers shot just 2-21 from beyond the arc overall and committed 17 turnovers that led to 25 MCC points.
The Tigers opened up the game controlling the offensive glass to create second chance opportunities. With the Tigers leading 11-9, Verardo sank back-to-back threes to increase MCC's lead. The Tigers clamped down on defense, holding the Lakers without a field goal for over eight minutes. During the stretch, the Tigers went on a 14-0 run to take a 31-12 advantage. MCC continued to dominate in the paint for the remainder of the half and went into intermission leading 41-16.
Carter opened up the second half hitting three buckets down low to up the Tigers lead. MCC built its lead to 30 midway through the second half while producing a 50 percent mark from three-point range in the final stanza. Jerome Gray (Milwaukee, WI/Young Coggs Prep) came off the bench late in the second half to connect on two threes while Chris Bru (Lakeville, MN/Eden Prairie) sank a shot from deep. 13 different Tigers entered the scoring column on the night.
Tyrese Hoxter (Boston, MA/Charlestown) led MCC with five rebounds while Kenny Strong (Youngstown, OH/Chaney) and Marquis Cunningham (Bronx, NY/Frederick Douglas Academy) each tallied four. Giovanni Ellis (Queens, NY/Rochester) scored eight points and recorded a game-high four steals. Raheim Holloway (St. Louis, MO/Jennings) dished out a team-high five assists as the Tigers assisted on 22 of the team's 33 field goals.
As a team, the Tigers outrebounded the Lakers 39-24. MCC finished the game shooting 52.4 percent from the floor, a boost up from Friday night's 35.3 percent. The Tigers were able to convert high-percentage shots in the paint, finishing the game with 44 points down low.
Next up for the Tigers will be a trip to Iowa Western Community College where MCC will take part in the Hampton Inn- Holiday Inn Reiver Classic on Nov. 15 and 16. The Tigers will play Missouri State-West Plains on Friday and Labette Community College on Saturday. Both games are 3:00 PM tipoffs.
