Marshalltown, IA—The Marshalltown Community College men's basketball season came to a halt on Monday night as the No. 4 seed Tigers fell at home to No. 5 seed Southeastern Community College 81-71. MCC finishes the year 17-12 overall.
Southeastern used an early double-digit lead to set the tone of Monday night's matchup. The Tigers cut the deficit to as close as five in the second half, but the Blackhawks managed to regain their momentum and carried out the double-digit win to advance to the Region XI Tournament semifinals Wednesday night. Southeastern will take on top-seeded Indian Hills Community College at 7:00 PM in Ottumwa, IA.
Sophomore Brandon Simmons (Harlem, NY/Teaneck) recorded his second-straight double-double, scoring 13 points to compliment a team-high 14 rebounds. Mohamed Thiam (Dekar, Senegal/Canarias) added 13 points and seven rebounds while Jamir Coleman (San Antonio, TX/Pro Vision) chipped in 12 points for the Tigers.
Sophomore Souf Mensah (Nantes, France/Canarias) tied a career-high with eight assists in the loss to go along with eight points in his final game as a Tiger.
MCC struggled from the free throw line, but used the three-point shot to stay in the game with Southeastern. The Tigers hit 12 three-point shots, the second-most in a game this season.
It was all Southeastern early on after the Blackhawks built a 20-5 lead through the first eight minutes of action. MCC used a barrage of three's late in the first half from Reggie Gradwell (Marshalltown, IA/West Marshall), Aaron Hauser (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown), Simmons, and Coleman, but Southeastern held a 37-27 lead at halftime.
Thiam ignited the offense to start the second half, hitting consecutive three-point shots. A three from Floyd Preito (Philadelphia, PA/Constitution) brought MCC within five, 43-38, but the Blackhawks went on a 14-6 run to slow the Tigers. A three from Gradwell gave MCC some life to bring the game within single digits and a trey from BJ Millard (Dunwoody, GA/Dunwoody) got the Tigers within six, 62-56, only to see the Blackhawks outlast MCC in the closing stretch.
Monday's loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Tigers in the opening round of the Region XI Tournament.
