Ottumwa, IA—Sophomore Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) scored a game-high 30 points to eclipse the 1,000 point mark for his career, but the feat was not enough to lift the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team as the Tigers suffered a 106-93 setback at the hands of No. 13 Indian Hills Community College Saturday night.
Rodriguez entered the night needing just nine points to reach the milestone. The sophomore sank the first of two free throws at the 2:52 mark of the first half to become the first Tiger to join the 1,000 point club since two-time NJCAA Division I All-American Tyler Brown (2009-2011) scored 1,005 points for his career. Dating back to the 2002 season, Rodriguez and Brown are the only Tigers to score at least 1,000 points in their career.
Rodriguez was one of four Tigers to reach the double-digit scoring column against the Warriors. Terence Shelby Jr. (Peoria, IL/Limestone) knocked down five three-point shots to finish the night with 22 points. Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Amir Maddred (Camden, NJ/Camden) added 14 points.
The Tigers were in contention early on, trading buckets with the Warriors in the opening minutes. Maddred scored five straight for the Tigers, including his fourth-career three-pointer to give the Tigers a 14-13 lead with 14:12 remaining in the first half.
Indian Hills strung together eight straight points following Maddred's three to pull back on top. The Tigers cut the deficit back to three at one point, but the Warriors built their lead to as many as 15 before taking a 56-47 lead at halftime.
The Warriors held a comfortable eight-to-10 point cushion throughout the opening minutes of the second half. MCC trailed by as many as 18, but got back to within seven after two free throws from Shelby Jr. made the score 92-85 with 4:27 to play. MCC never inched closer as the Tigers fell to 0-6 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play and 16-10 overall following their seventh straight defeat.
Rodriguez now ranks second in the nation with 586 total points on the year, averaging 22.5 points per contest and after hitting eight free throws against Indian Hills, leads the nation with 181 free throws.
The Tigers return home for a nonconference matchup with Iowa Central Community College at 7:00 PM on Feb. 2 following the MCC women's basketball game vs. Des Moines Area Community College at 5:00 PM.
