Marshalltown, IA—Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek) dominated on both ends of the court en route to his seventh double-double of the season as the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team defeated Kirkwood Community College 73-62 on Wednesday night at the Student Activity Center. The Tigers extend their winning streak to three games.
Carter recorded his second straight 20-point game as the sophomore poured in 23 points and matched a career-best with 14 rebounds. Carter shot 11-17 on the night to lead three players in double-figures. Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) went 9-10 at the free throw line and finished with 19 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) scored 13 points and dished out seven assists.
Jamal Gatali (Toronto, ONT/Downsview) recorded 10 rebounds for the second straight game as the Tigers outrebounded the Eagles 43-26. MCC controlled a 14-7 advantage on the offensive glass as the Tigers scored 21 second chance points compared to Kirkwood's two. MCC also outscored the Eagles 42-20 in the paint.
Carter sank the first bucket of the game as the team's traded baskets for the first five minutes. Guilherme Verardo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Clube Pinheiros) came off the bench and broke the streak with a three-point shot to put MCC up 14-9. The Eagles battled back to take a 27-23 lead but the Tigers went on a 7-0 lead and held Kirkwood to just one field goal in the final 6:35 to take a 38-32 halftime lead.
The Tigers defense continued to clamp down on the Eagles to open the second half, holding their opponent scoreless for the first three minutes of play. Terrell Clyburn (Romulus, MI/Romulus) knocked down a pair of free throws to increase MCC's lead to double-digits. The Eagles cut the lead back to under 10 but Green knocked down all six of his free throws down the stretch to carry the Tigers to the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) cross-division win.
MCC shot 48.1 percent from the floor, including a 57.1 clip in the first 20 minutes.
The Tigers have put together three separate three-game winning streaks this year.
MCC will entertain Grand View JV for the team's final regular season home game at 7:00 PM on Monday, Feb. 21 at the Student Activity Center. Six sophomores will be recognized, including Carter, Gatali, and Clyburn.
