Ottumwa, IA—The Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team suffered its second straight loss on Saturday afternoon as the Tigers fell 91-86 to Barton Community College on the final day of the Bowling RV Classic on the campus of Indian Hills Community College. MCC falls below .500 for the first time this year with a 3-4 record.
The Tigers held a first half lead over the Cougars 40-36 thanks to 11 points from Tyrese Hoxter (Boston, MA/Charlestown) in the first 20 minutes.
Barton answered the Tigers in the opening minutes of the second half, slowly regaining the lead as the Cougars held a 60-53 advantage with 12:09 remaining in the game. Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) scored five points in the opening half but came on strong in the second stanza to keep the Tigers within reach.
Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) hit a pair of free throws to cut Barton's deficit to two with three minutes to play, but the Cougars answered right back with a three to go back up by five.
Barton struggled at the charity stripe throughout the game but hit their free throws when it mattered. The Cougars sank 10 free throws in the final minute to pull away from the Tigers and seal the victory.
Hoxter and Gatali both finished the game with 19 points while Rodriguez chipped in 10.
MCC will travel to Quakerdale Prep on Tuesday for a 7:00 PM tipoff.
