Park Hills, MO—Taking on the No. 18 Mineral Area Cardinals for the second time this year, the Marshalltown Community College women's basketball team battled back in the second half but fell short on the road, dropping a nonconference matchup 59-51. Ilsie Calles (Van Nuys, CA/Fulton Prep) scored a team-high 17 points in the loss.
The Tigers fall to 12-9 on the year after dropping their second game of the year to the Cardinals. Mineral Area defeated MCC 70-54 on Nov. 22 at the Emerson JUCO Classic, hosted by the Tigers. Mineral Area improves to 20-3 on the season.
The Tigers trailed 31-23 at the half, but put up a valiant effort in the second half after improving their shooting percentage by 10 points. The Tigers connected on six of 15 three-point shots in the final frame, but was not enough as the Cardinals held on for the win.
Calles hit five of her nine three-point shots to finish with a season-high point total to go along with six rebounds. Jamerka Martin (Milwaukee, WI/Rufus King) scored 12 points while Sammie Sproul (Waterloo, IA/Waterloo West) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
The Tigers' lengthy road trip continues with a contest at MCC-Penn Valley on Jan. 30 at 5:00 PM. MCC defeated the Scouts 84-57 at home on Jan. 14.
