Marshalltown, IA— For the second consecutive game the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team suffered a one-point loss as Iowa Lakes took down the Tigers 74-73 Saturday afternoon at the Student Activity Center. Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) scored a career-best 25 points on the night.
Three days after suffering a 74-73 loss to Ellsworth Community College, the Tigers found themselves down to the wire again. Raheim Holloway (St. Louis, MO/Jennings) hit a running layup in the lane to give the Tigers a 73-72 lead with 19 seconds remaining. The Lakers answered right back with a layup of their own to regain a one-point advantage. With 10 seconds remaining Rodriguez missed a layup but Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) grabbed the offensive rebound for one final attempt.
Following a timeout, Rodriguez received the inbounds and put up a last-second three-point shot but was unable to sink the heave. Rodriguez's career-night came on 6-11 shooting, including 5-8 from beyond the arc. The freshman also knocked down eight of his nine free throw attempts.
Holloway finished the night with 12 points, half coming at the free throw line. Holloway also passed out four assists and grabbed four steals. Gatali joined Rodriguez and Holloway in double-figures with 11 points to go with a team-high six rebounds.
As a team, the Tigers shot 28-35 from the charity stripe. After hitting just 47.6 percent of their attempts against Ellsworth, MCC rebounded with their-second best free throw percentage of the year. The Tigers grabbed a season-high 13 steals while forcing 23 turnovers.
Gatali opened up the scoring for the Tigers with a three, but it was the Lakers that held the lead early on, holding a 15-8 advantage at the 10:01 mark. Rodriguez came off the bench to spark the Tiger offense, knocking down two threes and a layup in a three-minute span. The Tigers rallied in the closing minutes as MCC scored the final eight points of the half to take a 32-30 lead at halftime.
Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek) converted a three-point play to open the second half but foul trouble kept the Tigers' leading scorer on the bench most of the second half. Iowa Lakes went on a quick 6-0 spurt until Rodriguez drilled another three to cut the Tigers' deficit to two. MCC eventually regained the lead thanks to back-to-back threes from Gatali and Rodriguez as MCC went back on top 50-46.
The Lakers took back the lead and held on until Carter re-entered the game to hit a layup and give MCC a 71-70 advantage with under two minutes to play. Both teams traded baskets to set the stage for Rodriguez's final attempt. The Tigers dropped to an even .500 on the year with a 7-7 record.
The game featured five ties and 17 lead changes on the night.
After playing three games in five days, the Tigers will take off for the Christmas break with the team's next game on Jan. 8 at Kirkwood Community College.
