Marshalltown, IA—The Northeast Community College Hawks handed the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team an 87-65 loss in the regular season finale at the Student Activity Center on Saturday night. Three sophomores- Mike Rodriguez (Boston, MA/Redemption Christian Academy), Merdic Green (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) and Guilherme Verardo (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Esporte Clube Pinheiros) were recognized prior to the start of the game.
Rodriguez scored a team-high 22 points while Green added 11 points and seven rebounds in their final home game as a member of the Tigers.
After an early 6-0 deficit to start the game, the Tigers rebounded to tie the contest at nine. MCC tied the game at 14 with 14:07 to play but could never grab a lead. The Hawks took control with a double-digit margin and went into halftime leading 48-35.
Northeast led by as many as 22 in the second half as the Tigers struggled offensively. The Hawks shot 60.6 percent from the floor in the first half and finished the night with a 54.0 percent clip compared to just 28.8 percent for the Tigers.
Northeast controlled the glass with a 51-40 margin. The Tigers committed just 11 turnovers compared to 23 for the Hawks, but the poor shooting display did the Tigers in at home.
The Tigers will wait to see who their opponent is in the upcoming Region XI Tournament. The Tigers will be the No. 5 seed on the road when the tournament begins on Feb. 23.
