Ottumwa, IA—The Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team dropped its second straight contest to Missouri State University-West Plains on Friday night, falling to the Grizzlies 89-80 at the Bowling RV Classic hosted by Indian Hills Community College. Tyrese Hoxter (Boston, MA/Charlestown) led the Tigers in scoring for the second straight game with a career-high 22 points.
Playing the Grizzlies for the second time in the last seven days, MCC held an early lead in the first half thanks to a strong shooting performance from Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek). The sophomore scored five points early on as the Tigers held a 9-4 advantage. MSU-WP scored the next seven points to regain the lead over MCC.
The Grizzlies eventually increased their lead until Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) came off the bench to hit his first three shots, bringing the Tigers within five at 33-28. With Carter picking up his second foul with just over five minutes to play, Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) stepped up to keep MCC within striking distance. The sophomore scored the final five points of the half as MCC trailed 41-33 heading into the locker room.
The veteran leadership of Gatali, Carter, and fellow sophomore Raheim Holloway (St. Louis, MO/Jennings) stepped up to open the second half, combining to score the first 10 points, capped by a three-point play from Gatali to bring MCC within four, 47-43. MSU-WP then slowly built its lead back to double-digits.
Hoxter's scoring came when MCC needed it most. The freshman scored just two points in the first 26 minutes of play until a three-point play with under nine minutes remaining sparked a scoring spree for the rookie which included going 8-12 from the free throw line. The Grizzlies were able to stop the rest of the MCC attack to hold on for the victory.
Carter finished the game with 18 points on 8-11 shooting while Holloway poured in 14. Gatali led the Tigers with eight rebounds and chipped in 11 points.
MSU-WP shot 55 percent from the floor thanks to a 15-25 performance in the second half. The Tigers hit just two three-point attempts in 15 tries, a season-low for the Tigers.
MCC will resume play at the Bowling RV Classic with a game against Barton Community College set for a 4:30 PM tipoff.
