Sophomore Wali Parks of Iowa City scored 15 points and freshman Ray Miller of Davenport added 11 points as the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) men's basketball team dropped a 56-55 decision to North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) January 27 inside the DMACC gymnasium.
The loss was the third straight for the Bears, who fell to 14-6 overall and 0-3 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). DMACC is ranked 16th in the most recent Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
DMACC battled back from a 17-point deficit in the second half. The Bears led 26-24 at halftime, but NIACC used a 21-2 run to start the second half and opened up a 45-28 lead. DMACC clawed back to a 53-52 advantage on a pair of free throws by Miller with 2:28 to play and led 55-52 on a basket by Miller with 1:32 remaining. NIACC's Jacob Payne scored with 17 seconds left to give the Trojans the win.
The Bears shot 40 percent, hitting 20 of 50 field goal attempts. But they were just 1-of-15 from three-point range and made just 14 of 27 free throw attempts. Parks and freshman Devonta Prince of Brooklyn Center, Minn., had seven rebounds apiece as DMACC gained a 38-38 tie on the boards. Parks and Prince also had two assists apiece and Davidson topped the Bears in steals with three.
The DMACC men's basketball team will host Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) on January 31. Game time is 7:30 p.m. inside the DMACC gymnasium. ICCC is 16-5 overall and 2-2 in the ICCAC.
