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Marshalltown, IA—A strong start lasted throughout the night for the Marshalltown Community College Men's Basketball team as the Tigers rolled to a 91-54 win over Indiana Elite Basketball Academy on the opening night of the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel Classic Thursday night at the Student Activity Center.
Sophomore Guilherme Verardo (Sao Paulo Brazil/Esporte Clube Pinheiros) scored a team-high 20 points after scoring 17 first half points for the Tigers. Sophomore Christal Malalu (Eindhoven, Netherlands/Koning Willem I) and freshman Denzel Ubiaro (London, England/City of London Academy) each added 11 points for the Tigers.
Malalu added a team-high eight rebounds as MCC won the battle on the glass by a 55-34 margin. Sophomore Vincent Lasley (Tama, IA/South Tama) and freshman Reggie Gradwell (Marshalltown, IA/West Marshall) each collected seven boards in the win.
The Tigers' (4-1) hot start was ignited by Verardo as the sophomore drained back-to-back three-point shots to open the night. Verardo collected his third trey just 2:01 into the contest as the Tigers built an early double-digit lead. Gradwell connected on a three of his own and Verardo added a pair of free throws to extend the MCC lead to 23-8 with 12:30 to play in the first half. The Tigers converted seven of nine three-point shots, including a 5-5 performance from Verardo in the first 20 minutes as the home team led 48-22 at intermission.
Verardo carried his hot shooting into the second half, knocking down his sixth consecutive three to put MCC ahead 53-22 early in the second half. Ubiaro got above the rim and finished a dunk at the 6:23 mark to give the Tigers its largest lead of the night, a 41-point margin at 79-38. Indiana Elite hit just three field goals in the final five minutes as the Tigers won the Meskwaki Classic opener.
The Tigers finished 9-15 from beyond the arc as Gradwell hit two threes to finish with nine points on the night. Sophomore Tyler Miller (Louisville, KY/22ft Academy) filled the stat sheet with eight points, four assists, and four steals.
MCC returns to action against Little Priest Tribal College on Saturday, the final day of the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel Classic. The two teams will play at 5:00 PM following the MCC women against the Warriors which tips at 3:00 PM.
Friday night pairs the Little Priest Tribal women against Mount Mercy JV at 5:00 PM followed by the Little Priest Tribal men against Indiana Elite at 7:00 PM.
