Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) led all scorers with 18 points on seven of nine shooting. Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek) recorded a double-double in the first half and finished the night with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals while Guilherme Verardo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Clube Pinheiros) chipped in 11 points.
Carter scored the first six points of the game and Verardo followed up with back-to-back three-point shots as MCC led 12-6 early on. The Knights brought the game back to within four with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half, but the Tigers went on a 22-5 run, capped by a Kenny Strong (Youngstown, OH/Chaney) three-point shot. Carter finished the first half the same way he opened, scoring six straight points as the Tigers led 45-29 at the break.
Gatali drained a pair of threes in the opening minutes of the second half as the Tigers built their lead to 26. As a team, the Tigers shot 8-10 from beyond the arc in the first 11 minutes of the second half and finished the game with a season-high 12 threes, including one in the closing minutes from Chris Bru (Lakeville, MN/Eden Prairie).
The Tigers tallied 21 assists, the team's second-highest total this season, on 33 field goals. MCC posted a strong shooting performance on the night, shooting 54.1 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from three-point range, the second-highest marks in both categories this season.
Gatali and Verardo each knocked down three three-point shots against the Knights while Strong and Rodriguez both hit a pair.
The Tigers continue their four-game home stand with a 7:00 PM contest against Clinton Community College on Wednesday night.
