Marshalltown, IA—The Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team dropped a hard-fought Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) contest to Southeastern Community College at the Student Activity Center on Wednesday night, falling to the Blackhawks 66-54. Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek) led the Tigers with 16 points.
The Tigers (9-9/0-2) jumped out to the early lead as MCC held a five point advantage four minutes into the game. The Blackhawks battled back to regain the lead, but the Tigers stayed within striking distance. Southeastern's biggest lead of the first half came with just over a minute to go as the Blackhawks took a 35-27 lead into the locker room.
The Blackhawks scored 11 of the first 15 second half points to expand on their lead with a 15-point advantage. With Southeastern leading 46-31, MCC mounted a furious comeback with a 15-2 run. Guilherme Verardo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Clube Pinheiros) scored five straight points and Carter knocked down a mid-range jumper to pull the Tigers within two. Southeastern built its lead back to four until Carter knocked down his first career three at the 2:55 mark to pull MCC within one, 55-54.
The Tigers rally came to a halt as the Blackhawk defense shut out the Tigers over the final 2:55 to pick up the conference win.
Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) scored 12 points on the night, including a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Rodriguez has connected on 36 of his last 39 free throws over a six game stretch, averaging 16.2 points per game during the run. The freshman also dished out seven assists and grabbed four steals. Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) chipped in with 11.
The Tigers forced 16 turnovers on the night but lost the rebounding battle to the Blackhawks, 47-28. Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) grabbed a team-high eight boards.
After two straight home games, the Tigers hit the road for an ICCAC showdown with Northeast Community College at 7:00 PM on Saturday.
