Ottumwa, IA—A dominant first half from the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team was not enough to take down No. 1 Indian Hills Community College on Saturday night as the Tigers fell to the top-ranked Warriors 104-93 at the Hellyer Center. Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy) and Troidell Carter (Lilburn, GA/Meadowcreek) combined for 66 points.
The loss snapped the Tigers four-game winning streak, dropping the Tigers to 16-13 overall and 2-6 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play. The Warriors improved to 7-1 in league play and 28-2 overall.
Carter posted a career-high 33 points for his fifth straight game of at least 20 points. The sophomore also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the year. Rodriguez also went for a career-high with 33 points on the night while shooting 11-11 from the free throw line. As a team, the Tigers went 29-35 from the charity stripe. Carter and Rodriguez combined to shoot 22-35 from the floor on the night.
The Tigers held the lead for the majority of the first half against the Warriors. Guilherme Verardo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Clube Pinheiros) scored five straight points, including a three to give MCC its biggest lead of the half, 31-20 with 9:31 to play. The Tigers maintained a comfortable lead down the stretch, but the Warriors put together a 10-4 run to close out the half and take a 44-42 lead into the locker room.
Rodriguez scored 16 of his points in the first frame, including a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line and four fast break layups. Carter and Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) each scored nine points before the break.
The Tigers were able to contend with the Warriors thanks to a strong perimeter defense in the first 20 minutes, limiting Indian Hills to just 2-21 from three-point range. MCC shot 42-4 percent from the floor in the first half. Saturday night's first half was a different story compared to the two team's previous meeting this year. On Jan. 25, the Warriors controlled a 60-27 lead at the intermission.
Rodriguez regained the lead for the Tigers in the opening minutes of the second half on his third three-point play of the night, putting the Tigers up 49-48. Following a back-and-forth battle that put the Warriors up 57-55, Indian Hills found their stroke from deep, knocking down six straight three-point shots to extend their lead to double-digits.
The Warriors responded to their first half struggles from three-point range with an 8-13 performance in the second half. The 93 points are the fourth-most for the Tigers this season.
Despite the loss, the Tigers earned the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Tournament. MCC will host No. 5 seed Northeast Community College in the opening round at 7:00 PM on Monday night. The winner advances to play Indian Hills on Feb. 26.
