Cedar Rapids, IA—After a strong performance in the opening half, the Marshalltown Community College Men's Basketball team's offense cooled off in the second half as the Tigers fell on the road to Kirkwood Community College 79-56 Wednesday night. Reggie Gradwell (Marshalltown, IA/West Marshall) and Souf Mensah (Nantes, France/CCI) led MCC with 16 points each.
In the first game of the second semester for the Tigers, MCC shot 56 percent (14-25) from the floor in the first 20 minutes as Gradwell made all three of his first half three-point shots to put MCC within one, 34-33 at halftime. The Tigers were limited to just 41.2 percent (7-17) shooting in the second half as MCC fell to 12-6 on the year.
Gradwell finished the night 5-7 from long-range to record his career-high scoring effort. Mensah scored 11 second half points for his third-consecutive double-digit performance. Vincent Lasley (Tama, IA/South Tama) grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and added nine points.
Wednesday's contest featured seven lead changes, all coming in the first half. Kirkwood held the lead for a majority of the opening portion of the first half until Gradwell hit two three point shots to give MCC a 24-22 advantage. Lasley drained a three of his own and added a layup in the closing seconds as the Tigers went into the locker room with the one-point deficit.
Mensah connected on a three-pointer to keep MCC within one, 40-39 at the 16:45 mark of the second half. The Eagles answered on both ends of the floor from there on out, going on a 12-1 run while limiting the Tigers to no field goals for almost four minutes. Gradwell hit a three at the 12:53 mark to pull within nine, but the Tigers never got within double digits from that point on.
MCC returns home for a 7:00 PM matchup against Ellsworth Community College on Saturday night. The Tigers defeated the Panthers 82-78 on Nov. 24 in Iowa Falls.
