- Sophomore Kaden Tate leads DMACC with 21 points and 13 rebounds
- Freshmen Landen Norris and Brent Taylor also score in double figures
- Bears run current winning streak to 16 games
Sophomore Kaden Tate of Pearland, Texas, recorded his second consecutive double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds in leading the DMACC men's basketball team to a 75-54 win over Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) January 31 inside the DMACC gymnasium.
Freshman Landen Norris of Knoxville and Brent Taylor of Flossmoor, Ill., also scored in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively as the Bears improved to 22-1 overall and 13-0 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) with their 16th consecutive win.
The game featured a pair of ranked opponents as DMACC came into the game ranked second in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll and ICCC is ranked 10th. The win was a far cry from the 85-83 decision DMACC came away with when the two teams played Jan.17 at Fort Dodge. The Bears also took a No. 2 ranking into the game and clawed back from a ten-point deficit in the last 10 minutes to get the win. ICCC was ranked fifth at the time.
DMACC dominated almost from the opening tip in the most recent matchup between the two teams. The Bears, who never trailed, led 7-2 early and pulled away from a 12-12 tie with a 10-0 run that gave them a 22-12 lead with more than six minutes remaining in the half. ICCC got within seven at 22-15 but never got closer the rest of the way. DMACC led 33-21 at halftime and pushed its advantage to as many as 24 points in the second half.
DMACC shot 53 percent, hitting 30 of 57 field goal attempts. The Bears were 7-of-25 from three-point range and 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
ICCC, led by 16 points from C.J. Mitchell, was 20-of-61 from the field for 33 percent. The Tritons connected on four of 25 attempts from beyond the arc and were 10-of-13 from the free throw line.
Tate's 13 rebounds lifted DMACC to a 41-29 advantage on the boards. Norris led the Bears in assists with four and freshman Kiki Deng of Des Moines topped DMACC in steals with three.
The DMACC men's basketball team will play Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC) Feb. 4 at Sioux City. WITCC is 8-15 overall and 4-10 in the ICCAC. DMACC defeated the Comets 81-70 when the two teams played Dec. 10 inside the DMACC gymnasium.
