Marshalltown, IA—With under a second remaining on the clock, freshman Jamir Coleman (San Antonio, TX/Pro Vision) stepped up to the free throw line and delivered the game winning shot to give the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team a 77-76 victory at home over Northeast Community College on Saturday night. The Tigers finish the regular season 17-11 overall and 3-5 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play.
The Tigers led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but the Hawks chipped away to make a game of it. The regular season finale for each team, the outcome came down to the final seconds after Northeast hit a game-tying three with three seconds on the clock. On the ensuing inbounds, Coleman drove the court and was fouled with 0.7 on the clock. The calm and collect freshman sank the first attempt and intentionally missed the second to seal the victory for the Tigers.
Coleman finished the night with 16 points after hitting 11 free throw attempts. Brandon Simmons (Harlem, NY/Teaneck) led MCC with a double-double, 20 points and 10 rebounds. Souf Mensah (Nantes, France/Canarias) added 11 in the win.
Saturday night marked Sophomore Night for six sophomores- Mensah, Simmons, Reggie Gradwell (Marshalltown, IA/West Marshall), Danny Mozee (Louisville, KY/Louisville Male), Jonas Perkis (Trondheim, Norway/Charlottenlund VGS), and Floyd Preito (Philadelphia, PA/Constitution). The group was honored prior to the start of the game.
Saturday's win does not alter the upcoming Region XI Tournament scenario, but gives MCC a boost heading into the postseason. The No. 4 seed Tigers will host Southeastern Community College at 7:00 PM on Monday night. The Hawks hold on to the No. 3 seed while Iowa Western Community College is the No. 1 seed and Indian Hills Community College holds the top spot. The winner of MCC and Southeastern will take on the Warriors Wednesday night.
The Tigers got off to a slow start Saturday as the Hawks built a quick 11-0 lead to start the game. Freshman Berk Karadan (Izmir, Turkey/Izmir Zubeyde) knocked down a three-point shot as part of an MCC rally to pull the Tigers within six, 18-12 midway through the half. Northeast held on to the advantage until Simmons caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down back-to-back three-point shots to pull the Tigers within one, 30-29. MCC closed out the half on a 14-4 run with eight points coming from Simmons for a 37-32 MCC halftime lead.
A jumper from Mensah at the 15:22 mark gave MCC a double-digit lead and a two free throws from Coleman extended that edge to 14 with under 12 to play. The relentless Hawks fought back, but MCC continued to hold its lead until the final three seconds when Northeast hit a three from the wing that looked to send the game into overtime.
Coleman, MCC's top free throw shooter on the year, dribbled towards midcourt and was bumped prior to his desperation heave that sent the freshman to the line. Coleman buried the first attempt with ease and gave the Tigers the victory.
As a team, MCC scored 30 points from the charity stripe, with 23 of those points coming from Simmons, Coleman, and Mensah.
Check out the final stats from tonight's battle between the Tigers and @NortheastHawks! Brandon Simmons, Jamir Coleman combine for 36 points pic.twitter.com/G0GvTXMA2S
— Marshalltown Tigers (@MCC_ATH) February 26, 2017
