- Sophomore Reanna Hutchinson leads DMACC with 18 points
- Freshmen Mary Walker and Eviyon Richardson score nine points apiece
- Slow start is costly to DMACC against the nation's second-ranked team
Sophomore Reanna Hutchinson of Eau Claire, Wis., scored 18 points as the DMACC women's basketball team fell to Kirkwood Community College (KCC), 80-57, February 21 at Cedar Rapids.
Hutchinson was the only DMACC player to score in double figures as the Bears fell to 20-8 overall and 15-3 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) with their first loss in their last 10 games. Freshmen Mary Walker of Fonda and Eviyon Richardson of Waterloo narrowly missed double figures with nine points apiece.
The game featured two ranked teams as DMACC is ranked 18th in the Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and KCC is ranked second. The Eagles improved to 26-2 overall and 17-1 in the ICCAC with the win.
A slow start proved costly to the Bears. They missed their first seven shots and committed three turnovers in their first 10 possessions and KCC capitalized by scoring the games first 16 points. Sophomore Jaden Ainley of Clear Lake finally got DMACC on the board with a pair of free throws with 5 minutes, 22 seconds left in the first quarter but the Bears went another two minutes without scoring and Kirkwood built its lead to 22-2.
The Eagles led 27-11 at the end of the first quarter and while DMACC closed to within 12 points in the second period, KCC still had a 41-27 advantage at halftime. The Eagles led 58-44 at the end of the third quarter.
DMACC shot just 31 percent, making 19 of 62 field goal attempts. The Bears were 11-of-29 from three-point range and 8-of-13 from the free throw line.
KCC came away with a 39-34 advantage on the boards with sophomore Hollie Mohr of Mediapolis pulling down nine rebounds to lead DMACC. Ainley came away with eight and freshman Joy Beran of Riceville finished with six. Sophomore Kennedy Jones of Oak Park, Ill., led the Bears in assists with four and Hutchinson topped DMACC in steals with three.
The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Bears, who face fifth-ranked Iowa Western Community College (IWCC) Feb. 24 at Council Bluffs. IWCC, which shares the ICCAC lead with KCC, is also 26-2 overall and 17-1 in the ICCAC. The Reivers got a basket in the final seconds to defeat DMACC, 76-74, when the two teams played Jan. 20 inside the DMACC gymnasium.