Sophomore Zach Lester of Clear Lake scored 22 points and had three steals to lead the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) men's basketball team to a 77-69 win over North Iowa Area Community College (DMACC) February 1 at Mason City.
Freshman Ryan Schmitt of Van Meter scored 18 points and sophomore Barlow Alleruzzo of Chicago, Ill., finished with 14 as the Bears, ranked seventh in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll, improved to 20-3 for the season and 7-1 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC).
NIACC came into the game ranked 12th in the NJCAA Division II poll.
DMACC made 15 of 32 field goal attempts in the first half in opening up a 34-28 lead at halftime. The Bears pulled away in the second half, leading by as many as 18 points with 10 minutes, 45 seconds remaining.
For the game, DMACC was 28 of 57 from the field for 49 percent. The Bears made two of 12 three-point attempts and were 19-of-29 from the free throw line.
NIACC came away with a 47-45 advantage on the boards with Alleruzzo grabbing 10 rebounds to come away with a double-double. Sophomore Ty Majlik-Autry of St. Petersburg, Fla., had eight rebounds and Schmitt added seven. Freshmen Willie Guy of Cedar Rapids and Mike Hartford of McKinney, Texas, led DMACC in assists with three apiece.
The DMACC men's basketball team will play Southeastern Community College (SECC) Feb. 5 at West Burlington. SECC, an NJCAA Division I program, are 19-6 overall and 4-2 in Division I of the ICCAC. The Blackhawks are ranked 23rd in NJCAA Division I.