Mason City, IA— A first half lead was not enough for the Marshalltown Community College women's basketball team as the Tigers fell late in a cross-division matchup to North Iowa Area Community College 82-78 on the road Saturday afternoon. Jasmin Howe (Millicent, Australia/Millicent) carried the Tigers down the stretch and finished with a team-high 23 points.
The Tiger defense limited the Trojans, ranked No. 2 in this week's NJCAA Division II Poll throughout much of the first half. A pair of early three-point shots form Jamerka Martin (Milwaukee, WI/Rufus King) gave MCC a 13-12 lead. Birana McGinty (Milwaukee, WI/Bradley Tech) knocked down a triple to extend the lead to 25-18 with under nine minutes to play in the first half.
MCC maintained a comfortable advantage as Martin drained another three to put the Tigers up 30-23. The Trojans were able to respond though, and closed out the first half on a 9-0 run to take a 32-30 lead into halftime.
NIACC continued to hold its lead throughout the opening minutes of the second half, but Howe and Martin teamed up to combine for 17 points in the opening nine minutes of the final frame. A three from Howe on the wing put MCC on top 52-49. Both sides battled back and forth with NIACC eventually building a lead back up to nine. A late push from Howe that included seven straight points was not enough as NIACC held on for the win.
Howe finished the night shooting 50 percent (7-14) from the floor. Martin totaled 19 points in the loss, going 4-6 from three-point range. JeAnn Hiraldo (Ames, IA/Ames) corralled 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
Next up for MCC will be a doubleheader with the men's team on Dec. 10. Both sides will take on Southwestern Community College, with the women set to tip at 5:00 PM and the men at 7:00 PM.
