- Sophomore Kaden Tate and freshman Brent Taylor score 20 points apiece
- Freshman Kavon Phillips adds 17 points
- Bears shoot 47 percent in the win
Sophomore Kaden Tate of Pearland, Texas, and freshman Brent Taylor of Flossmoor, Ill, scored 20 points apiece and freshman Kavon Phillips added 17 points to lead the DMACC men's basketball team to an 87-78 win over Central (Neb.) Community College (CCC) January 28 at Columbus, Neb.
The win was DMACC's 15th straight and the Bears improved to 21-1 overall and 12-0 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC).
CCC fell to 9-14 overall and 3-10 in conference play. Brandon Jarmon led the Raiders with 20 points and Nino Nesbitt and Mo Abdalla scored 18 points apiece.
DMACC, which defeated CCC 98-67 Dec. 3 inside the DMACC gymnasium, led most of the game but its advantage was never more than 11 points until the final 10 minutes of the second half. CCC clawed back from 17-10 deficit to take a 21-19 lead with 8 minutes, 37 seconds left in the opening half and the Bears answered with a 10-0 run for a 29-21 lead with 6:33 left in the half.
DMACC, ranked second in the Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), led 44-39 at halftime and pushed its advantage to 11 points, 59-48, with 13:49 remaining in regulation. CCC got to within six points at 64-58 with just more than 11 minutes to play before DMACC pulled away behind a 10-0 run for a 74-58 advantage with 8:52 left. Tate's layup gave the Bears their biggest lead at 82-63 with 4:56 remaining.
DMACC shot 47 percent in the win, going 33-of-71 from the field. The Bears made nine of 30 attempts from beyond the arc and went 12-of-18 from the free throw line.
CCC was 25-of-66 from the field for 38 percent. The Raiders drained 11 of 24 attempts from three-point range and were 17-of-27 from the free throw line.
Tate came away with a double-double as his 16 rebounds helped DMACC to a 37-30 advantage on the boards. Taylor dished out a team-leading four assists and freshman Solomon Mosley of Chicago, Ill., led the Bears in steals with three.
The DMACC men's basketball team will host Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) Jan. 31 inside the DMACC gymnasium. The Tritons, ranked 10th in NJCAA Division II, are 18-4 overall and 10-3 in conference play. Their losses include an 85-83 decision against DMACC Jan. 17 at Fort Dodge, a game that saw the Bears overcome a 10-point deficit in the final 10 minutes to get the win.