MASON CITY, Iowa – #3 Kirkwood handcuffed the NIACC offense to their lowest point total of the season while handing the Trojans a 67-47 loss on Saturday.
NIACC (11-8, 2-2 in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference) came into the game with the top offense in the conference, averaging 80.3 points per game. The previous low this season for the Trojans was 66 against Cowley College on December 2.
No Trojans reached double-figures in scoring. Darius Wilson (Fr., Dowagiac, MI) and Kendall Brown (So., Des Moines, IA) had the most points with eight, while Kendale Dunn (So., Cleveland, OH) and Dominique Wright (Fr., Colorado Springs, CO) both scored seven points.
Kirkwood’s sophomore guard Michael Weber caused problems for the NIACC defense by scoring 22 points and dishing out six assists for the Eagles. Freshman Rodney Pryor came off the bench to add 12 points.
As a team, Kirkwood shot just over 41 percent (19-of-46) while holding NIACC to 28 percent (17-of-61). NIACC also continued to have troubles behind the three-point arc, shooting 3-for-20 in the game. They came into the game last in the conference in three-point shooting percentage (27.4 percent).
Both team’s top scorers, Chris Davis for NIACC and Matt Tiby for Kirkwood, had frustrating nights offensively. Davis, who averaged 13.4 points per game coming into game, shot 1-for-10 with five points. Tiby, who had a 14.9 point per game average, was put foul trouble early and was held to only two points.
Kirkwood lead by as many as 12 after a 17-5 run in the opening half (23-11), but NIACC responded with a 12-2 run led by a pair of three-pointers by Wilson to make it 25-23. Kirkwood entered the break with a 31-25 lead.
After an initial burst in the second half gave Kirkwood a 47-31 lead, NIACC’s offense came alive and strung together 12 straight to make it 47-43 with 8:11 left in the second half. Brown and Dejoni Norris both scored four in that run. NIACC then faltered down the stretch, as Kirkwood finished the Trojans on a 20-4 run by scoring on 10 of their last 15 possessions. NIACC was 1-for-16 during that stretch.
The Trojans will now turn their attention to hosting another ranked opponent, #5 DMACC, next Saturday. That game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.
