Quincy, IL—The Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team pulled out an 84-82 road victory over John Wood Community College on Wednesday night behind a season-high 32 points from Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy). With the win, the Tigers improve to 6-2 on the year.
Trailing by eight points at halftime, the Tigers mounted a late comeback in the second half to rally from behind. Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) converted a three-point play to put the Tigers ahead, 79-77, and Rodriguez sunk two free throws late for a four-point edge. The Tigers forced a missed shot at the buzzer to survive on the road.
Rodriguez went 13-13 at the free throw line on the night. The 32 points are the second most of the sophomore's career. As a team, the Tigers hit a season-high 25 free throws on 33 attempts (75.8 percent). MCC has now made at least 20 free throws in five of the team's six games this year.
Terence Shelby Jr. (Peoria, IL/Limestone) hit four three-point shots to finish with 18 points on the night. The freshman has made 14 threes over his last three games. Paulius Sakinis (Nebraska City, NE/Lourdes Central Catholic) scored 15 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds in the contest. Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) chipped in 11 points for the Tigers.
MCC travels to Des Moines Area Community College for a cross-division matchup on Nov. 22. Tipoff is set for 3:00 PM.
