• Freshmen Jaron Crews and Victor Desmond lead DMACC with 13 points apiece
• Bears have a 37-29 lead at halftime
• DMACC shots 40 percent in the win

Freshmen Jaron Crews of Ankeny and Victor Desmond of Onalaska, Wis., scored 13 points apiece to lead the DMACC men's basketball team to a 74-69 win over Northeast (Neb.) Community College (NECC) December 8 at Norfolk, Neb.

The Bears, ranked eighth in this week's Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), improved to 11-2 with their fourth consecutive win and stayed unbeaten in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) at 2-0. DMACC also stayed unbeaten in road games with their fifth straight win.

The Bears trailed just once, 13-12, with 12 minutes, 32 seconds left in the first half, but were never able to shake the spunky Hawks. DMACC led 27-29 at halftime and enjoyed a 12-point advantage, 47-35, on a basket by Crews at the 14:32 mark of the second half. NECC stayed with 10 points throughout the second half and got within four at 66-62 with just more than two minutes remaining. A pair of free throws and a layup from Crews and a layup by Desmond all but assured DMACC of the win at with a 72-63 lead with 19 seconds remaining.

The Bears shot 40 percent, making 25 of 62 field goal attempts. They were just 2-of-15 from three-point range and made 22 of 30 free throw attempts.

DMACC won the rebound battle, 44-43, with sophomore Greg Brown of Omaha and freshman Kwat Abdelkarim of Lincoln, Neb., lead the Bear with seven rebounds apiece. Crews and Covid-19 sophomore (CoSO) Jean Francois of Coral Springs, Fla., had six rebounds each and freshman Angelo Winkel of Algona and CoSO Jimarius Sneed of Chicago, Ill., finished with five apiece. Crews came away with two steals and Brown and Winkel each blocked two shots.

The DMACC men's basketball team will host Iowa Lakes Community College on Dec. 10. Game time is 3 p.m. inside the DMACC gymnasium. ILCC is 7-5 overall and 1-0 in the ICCAC.