Freeport, IL—The Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team suffered a 93-67 loss at the Baymont Inn Classic, falling to host Highland Community College on Sunday afternoon. Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) led the Tigers in scoring for the third straight game, tying a career-high with 21 points.
After scoring just 28 points in the first half, the Tigers (6-5) made a valiant effort to respond in the second half as Gatali caught a hot hand. The sophomore provided a big second half for the second straight night, scoring 15 points, including 6-7 at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes against Highland, but the Cougars came out victorious. Gatali is now averaging 19.3 points per contest over his last three games.
Tyrese Hoxter (Boston, MA/Charlestown) joined Gatali in double-figures with 14 points in the losing effort. Marquis Cunningham (Bronx, NY/Frederick Douglas Academy) chipped in a career-high 10 points on the night, eight coming in the second half.
The Tigers shot 20-33 (60.6 percent) from the free throw line, snapping a streak of four straight games shooting at least 77.0 percent from the stripe. MCC hit just three three-point attempts on the night, tied for the second fewest makes on the year.
MCC will take on three Region XI opponents in the upcoming week, starting with a road contest at Southwestern Community College at 7:00 PM on Tuesday. The Tigers will host No. 4 Ellsworth Community College at 7:00 PM on Wednesday and Iowa Lakes Community College at 3:00 PM on Saturday.
