Marshalltown, IA—Sophomore Courtney Williams-Perry (Milwaukee, WI/Bradley Tech) provided one of her best career performances on both ends of the court for the Marshalltown Community College women's basketball team, leading the Tigers to a 71-56 victory over Ellsworth Community College at the Student Activity Center Tuesday night.
Williams-Perry poured in a career-high 19 points to go along with a season-best 17 rebounds to pace the Tigers. The sophomore helped MCC pull away in the second half with 13 points and nine rebounds over the final 20 minutes of play. Jasmin Howe (Millicent, Australia/Millicent) scored 19 points on 8-14 shooting and knocked down three three-point shots. JeAnn Hiraldo (Ames, IA/Ames) pulled down 11 rebounds to give her 41 rebounds over her last four games.
The Tigers (4-2) outrebounded the Panthers 53-43, including a 23-10 advantage on the offensive glass. One game after committing a season-high 29 turnovers, the Tigers bounced back to force 29 miscues while turning the ball over just 13 times.
After coming off the bench, Howe hit a jump shot and drained her first three to put the Tigers up 12-6 early on. After Ellsworth (0-10) brought the game within one, 18-17, the Tigers went on an 11-0 run as five players contributed to the spurt. MCC maintained a double-digit lead at halftime, 31-21.
Williams-Perry found her stride in the second half, scoring the first seven Tiger points of the second frame. Howe knocked down back-to-back jumpers in the lane to give MCC its biggest lead of the night, 59-44. The Tigers finished off the night for their 12th straight victory over the Panthers since 2009.
Freshman point guard Sammie Sproul (Waterloo, IA/Waterloo West) played the role of floor general once again, dishing out seven assists to go along with nine points, six steals, and five rebounds.
The Tigers hit the road for the Southeastern Tournament in Keokuk, IA this weekend where MCC will take on Johnson County at 6:00 PM on Friday and Jefferson College at 1:00 PM on Saturday.
