Tigers
hold on to beat Mustangs
Posted
12/3/07 9:32 AM
Brett McGee |
Dillon Allen |
CEDAR RAPIDS,
Iowa -- Iowa Wesleyan College held double-digit leads during the
first half, but had to hold on late to edge Mount Mercy College,
59-58, in a Midwest Collegiate Conference men's basketball opener
on Sunday at Hennessey Recreation Center.
The contest
certainly wasn't typical of what has always been a high-scoring
rivalry. A big reason for that was cold shooting by both teams.
The Tigers (5-5, 1-0 MCC) won despite shooting 36 percent from
the floor and 62 percent from the free throw line, while the Mustangs
(6-4, 0-1 MCC) connected on just 38 percent of their field goal
attempts and 56 percent of their foul shots. The teams were also
a combined 10-for-39 from 3-point range.
After trailing
by as many as 12 points with 13 minutes to go in the first half,
Mount Mercy got within two by intermission on senior forward Brett
McGee's basket just before the halftime buzzer. McGee sparked
a 7-0 run to start the second period to give the Mustangs a 34-29
advantage, but the Tigers answered with the next eight points
to go up 37-34 with 15:07 remaining.
Mount Mercy
enjoyed its last lead, 43-42, with 9:22 to play. Iowa Wesleyan
led by as many as six points down the stretch, but the Mustangs
found themselves trailing by just one, 57-56, after a bucket by
senior forward Curtis Kilgore with 1:28 on the clock. A pair of
free throws by Max Stambaugh pushed the Tiger lead to 59-56 before
another Kilgore basket cut the deficit to one. After Brett Humpal
missed the front end of a one-and-one with seven seconds remaining,
the Mustangs had one more chance to win, but junior guard Lucas
Blood's driving layup was blocked as time expired.
McGee and
senior guard Dillon Allen were Mount Mercy's only double-digit
scorers, finishing with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Kilgore
and senior guard Rodney Jackson added nine points apiece. Junior
forward Brandon Barnhart's 11 rebounds led the Mustangs to a 41-32
advantage on the glass. Allen grabbed seven boards and a pair
of steals.
Cenica Harper
scored a game-high 15 points and snared four rebounds for the
Tigers. Stambaugh and Humpal joined him in double figures with
13 and 12 points. Humpal also collected seven boards and a game-high
four assists.
This week's
slate features a pair of non-conference games for Mount Mercy.
On Wednesday, the Mustangs face Cornell College at 7:00 p.m. in
Mount Vernon, Iowa. Then on Saturday, they take on the University
of Dubuque at 2:00 p.m. in Dubuque, Iowa.
