- Freshman Angelo Winkel leads DMACC with 17 points
- Freshmen Jaron Crews and Kwat Abdelkarim reach double figures with 16 and 12 points respectively
- Bears shoot 38 percent in the loss
Kirkwood Community College (KCC) handed the DMACC men's basketball team a 67-66 loss in a game featuring ranked teams February 23 inside the DMACC gymnasium. The Eagles entered the game ranked sixth in this week's Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). DMACC is ranked 13th.
With the loss the Bears fell to 22-7 overall and 10-5 in the ICCAC.
The game was close most of the way with KCC holding a 30-25 lead at halftime and going ahead by as many as 10 points in the second half. The Eagles led 55-45 with just more than seven minutes to play and had a 65-56 lead with two minutes, 15 seconds remaining.
Freshman Jaron Crews of Ankeny hit a jump shot and added a three-point basket as the Bears closed to within four at 65-61 with 1:16 to play. KCC got a pair of free throws from Justin Recker with 19 seconds left to take a 67-61 lead and Crews hit a three-pointer with 13 seconds left to make it a 67-64 game. Crews added two free throws with four seconds left to get the Bears within one at 67-66.
DMACC was led by freshman Angelo Winkel of Algona with 17 points. Crews came away with 16 points and freshman Kwat Abdelkarim of Lincoln, Neb., added 12 points. The Bears shot 38 percent, making 21 of 56 field goal attempts. They were 9-of-31 from three-point range and 15-of-18 from the free throw line.
KCC had a 37-36 advantage in rebounding with Abdelkarim's nine rebounds leading the Bears. Winkel and freshman Victor Desmond of Onalaska, Wis., had six rebounds apiece and Covid-19 sophomore (CoSO) Jimarius Sneed of Chicago, Ill., had five. Abdelkarim dished out a team-high five assists and Crews led DMACC in steals with three.
The loss dropped the DMACC men's basketball team to third place in the ICCAC, one half game behind KCC. The Bears close out the regular season and ICCAC play against Southwestern Community College (SWCC) March 1 at Creston. SWCC is 9-18 overall and 5-9 in conference play. The Spartans' losses include a 63-60 setback against DMACC Jan. 7 inside the DMACC gymnasium.