Conference play has not been good to the Tiger basketball teams. On Saturday, January 26, both teams travelled to Northeast Community College in Norfolk, NE looking to pick up their first Iowa Community College Athletic Conference win. On Saturday, January 26, both teams left Northeast still winless in ICCAC play.
While both teams are winless, the way in which both teams have gotten to this point in their conference seasons is very different.
The women have just two division I conference opponents in Iowa Western Community College and Northeast Community College. Against conference opponents, the women are now 0-2 and have been outscored 180-87 between the two contests.
Meanwhile, the men have four division 1 opponents in the ICCAC as Indian Hills Community College, Iowa Western Community College, Northeast Community College, and Southeastern Community College all compete with the Tigers for the ICCAC Division I crown each year. The Tigers have played each of the four teams once so far this year and are 0-4 in those contests. However, three of the four contests have been close in the final minutes as the Tigers lost by just seven to Iowa Wester, four to Northeast, and three to Southeastern.
In the women's game on Saturday, the common themes of the season reared their heads as the Tigers struggled to control possession, make shots, and rebound. On Saturday, the Tigers committed 22 turnovers compared to six by the Hawks, they shot 28.6% to the Hawks' 52.6 percent, and they were out rebounded 41-21 as the Hawks cruised to a 91-35 victory.
Then men's game was much closer as Northeast outscored the Tigers by just two point in each half to escape with a 69-65 victory. For the men, the difference, like it has been in multiple games this year, was turnovers. The Tigers committed 17 turnovers compared to 12 for the Hawks. The Hawks also dominated the game from beyond the arc as they shot 11-24 from range compared to 4-25 for the Tigers.
The next basketball game for the Tigers will be Thursday, January 31 as the women host Southeastern Community College. The matchup was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but has been rescheduled due to projected weather.
