Tigers bounce back in second half to drop Ellsworth

Iowa Falls, IA—The Marshalltown Community College men’s basketball team pulled away from Ellsworth Community College in the second half for a 73-64 win on the road.

Tigers bounce back in second half to drop Ellsworth
January 9, 2017

Iowa Falls, IA—The Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team pulled away from Ellsworth Community College in the second half for a 73-64 win on the road Monday night. The Tigers improve to 13-5 on the year.

After trailing by as many as nine in the first half, the Tigers fought back to take a lead late in the second half and never looked back. Five players scored in double-figures for MCC, led by Floyd Preito's (Philadelphia, PA/Constitution) 15. Mohamed Thiam (Dekar, Senegal/Canarias) added 13 points and five rebounds. BJ Millard (Dunwoody, Georgia/Dunwoody) chipped in 12 while Jamir Coleman (San Antonio, TX/Pro Vision) and Reggie Gradwell (Marshalltown, IA/West Marshall) each scored 10.

A barrage of fouls plagued the Tigers early on Monday night as MCC was forced to go deep into its bench. Gradwell came off the bench and buried back-to-back three-point shots from the same corner spot to pull MCC within one, 8-7. The Panthers used an 8-0 run to pull ahead 30-21, but Preito slowed the spurt with consecutive mid-range jump shots. MCC got as close as three points in the closing minutes of the half, but trailed at the break 38-31.

Thiam converted a three-point play while Preito and Gradwell each connected on three-point shots to cut the deficit to two, 42-40 in the opening minutes of the second quarter. An offensive rebound led to a bucket down low for Millard and the Tigers jumped on top 46-44.

MCC extended its advantage to seven, 57-50, but the Panthers knocked down a pair of threes and eventually took the lead, 59-58. Coleman took control on the next two possessions with a pair of baskets to regain the lead. A three-point play down the stretch from Coleman sealed the victory as MCC swept the two-game season series from the Panthers.

Despite a pair of injuries that sidelined primary starters Souf Mensah (Nantes, France/Canarias) and Brandon Simmons (Harlem, NY/Teaneck) for the entire night, the Tigers were able to rely on a strong bench presence as 11 different Tigers logged significant minutes in the win.

MCC is back in action on Wednesday night as the Tigers travel to Kirkwood Community College for a 7:00 PM matchup.