Boone, IA—Jasmin Howe (Millicent, Australia/Millicent) scored 24 points for the Marshalltown Community College women's basketball team but a 13-0 second half run from the Des Moines Area Community College Bears ended the Tigers' 2013-14 season in the first round of the NJCAA Division II Region XI Tournament as DMACC took a 72-65 victory. MCC finishes the season with an 18-12 record.
Howe dropped 14 first half points for the Tigers to help MCC jump out to the early lead in the first half and control a halftime advantage. Howe drained a three in the opening minutes of the second half to put the Tigers up 45-41, but the Bears responded by hitting seven of their next eight shots, including four three-pointers to take control. The Tigers eventually regained the lead, but DMACC closed the game on a 9-0 run, limiting the Tigers to just one field goal over the final 4:29.
The Bears advance to face North Iowa Area Community College in the semifinal round of the tournament on Friday in Fort Dodge. The Trojans defeated Ellsworth Community College 94-48 on Tuesday night.
Howe recorded her eighth 20-point performance of the year and her eighth game of at least four three-point shots as the freshman shot 4-7 from beyond the arc. Ashley Salgado (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa), playing in her final game as a Tiger, recorded eight points and dished our seven assists. Fellow sophomore Mackenzie Gott (Oskaloosa, IA/Oskaloosa) contributed 13 points and pulled down five rebounds. Courtney Williams-Perry (Milwaukee, WI/Bradley Tech) registered her fifth double-double of the year with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Tigers outrebounded the top-rebounding team in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) with a 38-34 edge. The Bears prevailed at the free throw line, however, as DMACC shot 20-24 from the stripe, including 14-16 in the second half, compared to MCC's 9-14 mark.
MCC opened up an early 11-4 lead over the No. 4 seeded Bears thanks to a three from Howe early on. MCC controlled the lead for an eight-minute stretch. DMACC drained a three with to put the Bears up 21-20, but the teams exchanged baskets over the final five minutes, including a three-point shot from Howe to close out the half and give MCC the 31-28 lead heading into the locker room.
Jamerka Martin (Milwaukee, WI/Rufus King) opened up the second frame with her first three-point shot of the night only to see the Bears respond with a trey of their own. For every Tiger point the Bears had an answer, finally breaking through with the team's hot shooting stretch to build a 59-46 lead. Minutes later, Martin scored five straight points to spark a 12-0 run of their own, capped by two free throws from Williams-Perry to give MCC a two-point cushion with three minutes to play.
Martin answered a pair of DMACC free throws with a layup to maintain the two-point edge, but that would be the final basket of the season for the Tigers as DMACC sank 6-8 from the free throw line in the closing two minutes.
The 18 wins under first-year head coach Steve Garber are the most for the MCC program since the 2010-11 season when the Tigers went 22-10.
