SWCC men knock off fourth ranked opponent

Southwestern men’s basketball picked up its fourth win of the season Wednesday, coincidentally, also being its fourth win over a ranked opponent.

The Spartans (4-3) knocked off NJCAA Div. II No. 2 Des Moines Area (5-2) for the first time since a 105-102 Feb. 6, 2019. Wednesday’s 70-58 win over the Bears was lead by SWCC’s defensive effort.

“Our guys just love to play defense right now,” SWCC head coach Devin Kastrup said. “It’s stressful because we’re relying on our defense to keep the games close, but I just feel like we’re still getting better on offense.”

SWCC’s defensive effort forced 12 turnovers, nine coming from steals. The Spartans also recorded five blocks, with Justin Graham and James Kelley each tallying two.

Through seven games, SWCC opponents are averaging 67.8 points per game. DMACC entered Wednesday averaging 81 points per game.

The defense on both ends started out strong. The first points of the game didn’t come until 17:05 in the first half when SWCC’s Justin Graham scored off a pick-and-roll. The Spartans went up 7-2 after an offensive rebound and Donzell Johnson drilled a 3-pointer from the corner.

DMACC rallied back to go up 15-13 before Kelley tied the game on a layup in the lane. The game remained nearly even as back-to-back scores from Nate Duckworth gave SWCC 27 points. A score from DMACC’s Willie Guy sent the game to a 27-point tie entering halftime.

Out of the break, SWCC’s defense started a run that would be the deciding factor in a win that Kastrup said makes their resume one of the top in the country.

Both sides scored on their first possessions to keep the game tied at 29, but SWCC gained a 38-31 lead, forcing three consecutive turnovers before DMACC called a timeout.

“To start the jump it was a turnover, hit a couple layups, got a couple jump shots out of it and we were rolling,” Kastrup said. “Thank goodness that lead ballooned to almost 20 because then it kind of gave us some slack when we came back down to earth.”

The lead continued to balloon as Justin Graham scored four consecutive points and Johnson knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers. SWCC gained its biggest lead yet at 13:00 after Johnson’s second 3-pointer, going up 50-33.

DMACC started to get inside on the offensive end, drawing fouls on four of five possessions. The Bears went 6-for-8 from the free-throw line to pull the game to 52-37.

DMACC finished the game 15-for-25 from the free-throw line, 60%.

Consecutive 3-pointers from Demarious Carey and Qushawn Wells, paired with a third consecutive SWCC score, gave the Spartans the biggest lead they would hold in the game at 18 points.

Kastrup said the group, being made up of 18 and 19-year-olds, the group is in their “basketball infancy” and is still learning how to play with so much offensive freedom.

SWCC held off the second-ranked Bears for the remaining 4:30 to seal the win as the offense hit seven free throws in the final minute of the game.

Taking down top-ranked opponents, all of which have been inside the ICCAC, has become commonplace throughout the early part of the season, but Kastrup said he still feels his team has room to grow.

“If we can figure it out and start making some shots – we’ve still been kind of cold – then our potential is limitless,” Kastrup said. “I don’t care who we go against. We’ve shown we can beat the top teams in the country. The issue is, we’re so inconsistent on the offensive end right now, that’s what is keeping games close.”

Spartan lose close to No. 4

CEDAR RAPIDS – SWCC came up just short to Div. II No. 4 Kirkwood Saturday, falling 66-61.

The Spartans held the Eagles below their season average, 71.4, with another strong defensive performance. SWCC held the game close through the first half, trailing 31-23 at halftime.

A 38-point second half brought the game to within 10 points, but Kirkwood’s 35 points were just enough to keep SWCC from stealing a game on the road.

Kelley scored a game-high 19 points on 6 of 11 shooting from the field. Johnson scored 11 points with six rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Spartans knock off No. 16 Iowa Lakes

ESTHERVILLE – SWCC continued its winning ways against ranked opponents with a 69-65 win over Div. II No. 16 Iowa Lakes Wednesday, Feb. 3.

After a slow start offensively, Southwestern trailed 39-25 at halftime. The defense kept the Spartans in the game as the offense found a rhythm.

SWCC held Iowa Lakes to 26 points in the second half, while scoring 44 of its own to edge out a win over the No. 16 Lakers.

Kelley and Duckworth each scored 16 points. Duckworth and Kelley both finished with double-doubles, grabbing 13 and 10 rebounds, respectively.

UP NEXT – SWCC takes on Ellsworth Saturday at home, beginning at 3 p.m.

Southwestern 70, Des Moines Area 58

DES MOINES AREA (58) — (FG FT PTS) Totals — 21 15-25 58. Zach Hobbs 7 3-6 18, Goanar Biliew 4 9-16 17, Willie Guy 4 2-2 10, Mark Bradshaw 4 1-5 9, Ryan Schmitt 1 0-0 2, Jean Francois 1 0-0 2. 3-point goals — 1 (Hobbs). Team fouls — 8. Fouled out — none.

SOUTHWESTERN (70) — (FG FT PTS) Totals — 34 10-15 70. Donzell Johnson 5 0-0 15, Nate Duckworth 5 3-6 13, James Kelley 5 2-2 12, Justin Graham 4 1-3 9, Demarious Carey 2 4-4 8, Joe Kearney 2 0-0 5, Qushawn Wells 1 0-0 3, Kolten Riggs 1 0-0 3, Emmanuel Nwaneri 1 0-0 2. 3-point goals — 8 (Johnson 5, Kearney 1, Wells 1, Riggs 1). Team fouls — 19. Fouled out — None.