Tigers top Blackhawks for first conference win

West Burlington, IA—The Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team picked up its first Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) victory of the year with a 75-67 win at Southeastern Community College on Saturday night. Mohamed Thiam (Dekar, Senegal/Canarias) powered the Tigers with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

The Tigers built a reasonable lead midway through the first half and led by as many as 11 with under five to play, but a late run from the Blackhawks put MCC in the hole by three, 40-37 at halftime. A 14-3 run in the second half allowed the Tigers to take back the lead which they held for the remainder of the game.

Thiam picked up 12 points and four rebounds in the opening half and powered the Tigers in the final frame to record his 11^th double-double of the season. Thiam was one of five players to reach double-figures for MCC. Floyd Preito (Philadelphia, PA/Constitution) and Brandon Simmons (Harlem, NY/Teaneck) each scored 13 followed by BJ Millard's (Dunwoody, GA/Dunwoody) 11 and Juan Coffi's (Barcelona, Spain/Canarias) 10.

After shooting just 38.9 percent in the first half, MCC picked up its effort in the final 20 minutes by shooting 45.5 percent. As a team, the Tigers outrebounded Southeastern 42-38 and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds.

Conference play continues for the Tigers on Jan. 21 with the ICCAC home opener vs. Iowa Western Community College. Tip-off vs. the Reivers is set for 7:00 PM at the Student Activity Center.

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