The Tigers came alive in the second half, but 25 first half turnovers proved costly for the home team. The Warriors held MCC to just 27 first half points, but the Tigers scored 47 second half points, including 18 from Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy). The freshman finished with 20 points, his second straight game of at least 20 points.
Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek) scored 11 second half points and finished the night with 15 points and eight rebounds. Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) also grabbed eight boards to go along with 11 points. The Tigers scored at least 70 points for the fourth straight game, but seven Warriors reached double-figures to outlast the Tigers.
Indian Hills, ranked sixth in this week's NJCAA Division I poll, entered the game averaging 115.2 points per contest. MCC held with the Warriors early on as Gatali hit the opening three-point shot to give the Tigers the early lead. Guilherme Verardo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Clube Pinheiros) knocked down a three to tie the game at 10 but Indian Hills exploded offensively, finishing the half on a 50-17 run to pull away.
The 111 points are the most the Tigers have allowed all season. MCC shot 46.2 percent from the floor on the night, including a 55.2 clip in the second half.
Saturday night's game was a part of Down syndrome awareness night as the Tigers teamed up with local Down syndrome organizations in the Marshalltown area. The groups raised over $2,000 in total donations.
The Tigers' home stand continues against nationally ranked opponents as MCC will host No. 3 Iowa Western Community College at 7:00 PM on Wednesday at the Student Activity Center.
