Marshalltown, IA—For the second time in as many years, the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking loss to Ellsworth Community College as the Tigers final attempt for a game-winning shot was waved off, giving the Panthers a 74-73 victory. Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) scored a team-high 16 points in the losing effort.
In a back-and-forth battle that featured nine ties and 23 lead changes, the game came down to the final shot for the Tigers after Ellsworth took a one-point lead on the backend of a two-shot free throw attempt. With 2.6 seconds remaining on the clock, Tyrese Hoxter (Boston, MA/Charlestown) received the inbounds pass at halfcourt and took two dribbles before heaving a desperation three. Hoxter's shot rimmed out and a put-back attempt from Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek) was waved off.
Almost a year ago to the date, the Panthers knocked off MCC with a last-second shot to give ECC on a 80-79 victory on Dec. 5, 2012.
After not reaching the scoring column in Tuesday night's win over Southwestern, Gatali rebounded against the Panthers to lead the Tigers with a double-double, adding 11 rebounds to go with his 16 points. The sophomore knocked down three three-point attempts and also dished out four assists.
Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) had the hot hand for the Tigers in the first half, scoring all 13 of his points.Carter chipped in 12 points on 6-12 shooting for MCC.
The Tigers scored the game's first six points, four coming on penetration points from Green. Midway through the second half Carter positioned himself down low to convert a tip-in off a missed shot to give the Tigers a 10-point lead at 20-10. The Panthers stormed back with a 13-2 run to take their first lead of the night at 23-22. Both teams continued to trade leads until Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 35. Carter hit a layup with under a minute to go for the final basket of the first half as the Tigers went into the locker room leading 40-39.
The Tigers opened up the second half with a strong shooting performance, keyed by back-to-back three-point shots from Raheim Holloway (St. Louis, MO/Jennings) and Gatali. The Panthers eventually came back and took a six-point lead of their own but was cut in half by another three from Gatali.
In the closing minute the Panthers took a 73-72 lead on a fast break dunk from Robert Lee. With six seconds remaining, Hoxter was fouled as he drove the lane. The freshman missed the front-end of the double-bonus attempt but sank the second to tie the game at 73-all, setting the stage for the late-game dramatics.
The Panthers inbounded the ball at midcourt to Lee who drove the length of the court but was fouled with 2.6 seconds on the clock. Lee hit one of two attempts at the line, giving MCC one last crack at a win. Hoxter's 35-foot three-point shot hit off the front of the rim. Carter collected the rebound and hit a layup before the final horn sounded, but the officials ruled the clock started late, giving the Panthers the victory.
The Tigers won the rebounding battle with a 47-33 advantage, but the Tigers failed to convert at the free throw line, hitting just 10-21 attempts on the night.
The Tigers will host Iowa Central Community College for the team's second straight home game after playing 11 consecutive road games. The two teams will tipoff at 3:00 PM in the Student Activity Center.
