- Michael Hartford's 14 points lead DMACC past SWCC, 100-65
- Goanar Biliew scores 16 points as Bears top ILCC, 76-75, in overtime
- DMACC can win third straight ICCAC title with win over KCC on Feb. 23
The DMACC men's basketball team ran its current winning streak to 12 games with victories against Southwestern Community College (SWCC) on Feb. 19 and Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) on Feb. 20.
DMACC, which has won 14 of its last 15 games, improved to 22-6 overall and 13-2 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) with the wins.
Sophomore Michael Hartford of McKinney, Texas, led six players in double figures with 14 points in DMACC's 100-65 win over SWCC Feb. 19 inside the DMACC gymnasium. Covid-19 freshman (CoFR) Goanar Biliew of Denison had 13 points, Covid-19 sophomore (CoSO) Jadan Graves of Syracuse, N.Y., and freshman Allen Udemadu of Lagos, Nigeria, had 12 points apiece and CoSO Noah Parcher of LaCrosse, Wis., and CoFR Jimarius Sneed of Chicago, Ill., had 10 points apiece in the win.
The Bears, ranked 11th in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll, never trailed. They had a 16-point lead at 21-5 with the game less than six minutes old and led by 21 points at 29-8 with just less than 12 minutes remaining in the first half. They had a 57-27 advantage at halftime and coasted to the win in the second half, leading by as many as 37 points in the last 10 minutes.
DMACC shot 63 percent in the win, making 36 of 57 field goal attempts. The Bears were 12-of-23 from three-point range and 16-of-25 from the free throw line.
Sneed pulled down eight rebounds as DMACC came away with a 41-20 advantage on the boards. Parcher dished out a team-high eight assists and freshman James Glenn of Altoona led DMACC in steals with three.
Biliew recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bears to a 75-76 overtime win against ILCC Feb. 20 at Forest City. Graves had 15 points, Parcher scored 14, Hartford had 12 and freshman Greg Brown of Omaha, Neb., finished with 10 as DMACC defeated ILCC for the second time this season.
ILCC had a 30-26 advantage at halftime and led by as many as 10 points with less than seven minutes to play. DMACC fought back from a 60-50 deficit to gain a 65-65 tie with 41 seconds left, sending the game to overtime. The Bears were down by as many as five points in the extra session, 75-67, and took a 74-72 lead on a pair of free throws by Biliew with 1 minutes, 29 seconds to play. Brown made two free throws with five seconds left for a 76-72 advantage and ILCC made it a one-point game with a three-pointer with one second left.
The Bears won despite shooting 34 percent from the field, making just 21 of 61 field goal attempts. They were 10-of-27 from three-point range and 23-of-34 from the free throw line.
ILCC had a 52-45 advantage on the boards with Biliew's 13 rebounds leading DMACC. Graves dished out a team-high five assists and he and Sneed lead the Bears in steals with two apiece.
The DMACC men's basketball team closes out the regular season against Kirkwood Community College (KCC) Feb. 23. Game time is 7:30 p.m. inside the DMACC gymnasium. The Eagles, ranked 13th in NJCAA Division II, are 20-7 overall and 12-3 in the ICCAC including a 76-73 overtime win against DMACC Dec. 8 at Cedar Rapids. A victory against KCC will give DMACC its third consecutive ICCAC regular season championship.
