SWCC drops first at home, loses second straight

The Spartans men’s basketball looked to get back into the win column against North Iowa Area Community College on Saturday but were unable to grab a win column as they lost 104-81.

The loss for the Spartans makes it their second straight and their first at home.

Southwestern started the game looking good, moving the ball effectively enough in transition through the Trojans’ full court press.

The aggression on defense from the Trojans led to the Spartans having to fight their way up the court, despite their early success in transition.

Baskets from Rasheed Barze and Chad Moran helped establish a presence in the paint that wasn’t present on the outside, with both players scoring six in the first half.

The Trojans pounded the glass hard, using their size to their advantage as they were able to get ahead and stay ahead thanks to their inside presence.

Head coach Blake Peterson knew their size and ability to create inside was going to be a problem for them.

“It was part of the scouting report,” said Peterson. “They do a really good job of getting in transition and do a good job with their bigs.”

The Trojans’ Quentin Hardrict finishes the night with 25 points with 16 coming from the paint. James Harris and Trey Simpson both posted 10 from the field for the Trojans.

After only three minutes against Des Moines Area, Gatdoar Kueth was back in the rotation for the Spartans.

“We found out he was cleared for Wednesday but it was still a little tender... We gave him a couple more days of rest and felt like he was ready to go, so we put him back in the rotation today,” said Peterson.

Kueth played 28 minutes, posting only eight points with seven rebounds.

With both sides playing hard to the final buzzer, Peterson gave credit to the Trojans’ forwards.

“We got to give credit to them, they worked hard and their bigs are phyiscal and long,” said Peterson. “They played really, really hard. At times we did but we just weren’t able to put 40 minutes together to match that intensity.”

UP NEXT – The Spartans head to Indian Hills Community College on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

NIACC (104) — 50 54

SWCC (81) — 42 39

NORTH IOWA AREA (FG FT PTS) — Totals — Quentin Hardict 9 5-9 25, Deundra Roberson 8 1-1 19, James Harris 5 6-6 16, Orrington Hamilton 5 1-2 13, Trey Sampson 5 0-1 10. 3-point goals (5) — Hamilton 2, Roberson 2, Hardict 1. Team fouls — 22. Fouled out — None.

SOUTHWESTERN (FG FT PTS) — Totals — 36 7-14 93. Ryan Warren 6 4-5 7, D’Marqueyon Whittington 5 3-4 16, Rasheed Barze 6 1-3 13, Chad Moran 4 3-4 11, Noah Persich 3 3-4 10, Gatdoar Kueth 2 4-4 8. FG shooting — 29-63 (46.0 percent). 3-point goals (5) — Whittington (3), Warren (1), Persich (1). Rebounds — 21 (Kueth 7, Brandon Reed 5, Whittington 4, Barze 2). Assists — 8 (Reed 3, Warren 3). Steals — 8 (Barze 3, Warren 2). Blocked shots — 4 (Barze 3). Turnovers — 15. Team fouls — 14. Fouled out — None.