Marshalltown, IA—Despite not making a three-point shot all night long, the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball offense erupted for 90 points to drop the visiting North Iowa Area Community College Trojans 90-70 at the Student Activity Center Monday night. Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) led the way with a double-double, scoring 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Green recorded his fourth double-double of the year against the Trojans. The sophomore's 25 points are the second-most on the year. Green posted a strong night at the free throw line, going 11-13 from the stripe while adding four assists.
Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) powered the MCC offense in the second half, scoring 14 of his game-high 27 points in the final frame. Rodriguez shot 11-18 from the floor and dished out six assists. Vincent Lasley (Tama, IA/South Tama) and Amir Maddred (Camden, NJ/Camden) rounded out the double-digit scoring column for the Tigers, chipping in 10 points each.
A pair of early three-point shots gave the Trojans (6-4) the upper hand in the opening minutes of play as NIACC managed to take a 16-13 lead over the Tigers (8-3). Trailing 23-18, MCC took over from the free throw line, making eight straight as part of a 12-0 run. Green scored nine of the team's final 18 points to send MCC into halftime with a 39-35 lead.
The Tigers opened up the second half with a bang as Tyler Miller (Louisville, KY/22ft Academy) stole a pass near midcourt and threw down a dunk on the other end to bring the MCC bench to its feet. The Trojans hung around, but MCC slowly pieced together a series of defensive stops to compliment its offensive efficiency over the final 20 minutes. Rodriguez hit a layup at the 13:40 mark to give MCC a double-digit cushion, one the Tigers would hold for the remainder of the game.
MCC shot 51.3 percent from the floor in the second half to finish with a 48.5 percent clip on the night. Adding on to Green's 10 rebounds, David Stewart (Boston, MA/Madison Park) and Christal Malalu ('s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands/Koning Willem 1) each grabbed nine rebounds on the night. The two post players also combined to block five shots on the night.
The Tigers head down to Ottumwa, IA for the PCS Classic this weekend, hosted by Indian Hills Community College. MCC will take on Carl Sandburg College on Friday at 4:00 PM and Dodge City Community College at 4:00 PM on Saturday.
