by Alan Hoskins
Iowa Western lived up to its national ranking Tuesday, turning back every Kansas City Kansas Community College rally for an 83-73 win.
It was the eighth straight win for the unbeaten Reivers, who are ranked No. 23 in the latest poll of NJCAA Division I teams.
The Blue Devils, meanwhile, fell to 4-5 heading into a 7 p.m. game at Penn Valley Saturday before returning home for a women’s-men’s doubleheader against Ottawa JV next Tuesday.
An 11-3 run at the end of the first half enabled Iowa Western to open a 39-26 lead and the Reivers repelled several KCKCC rallies with three-point goals – nine in all from six different players.
A torrid 27-of-49 from the field for 55.1 percent, the athletic Reivers had at least four slam dunks and four blocked shots.
“That’s a very good team, certainly one of the best we’ll face this season,” said KCKCC coach Kelley Newton. “It was a hard fought game and I felt we competed well. We just could never get over the hump.”
Jonathon Murray, a 6-9 freshman from Macon, Mo., led the Blue Devils with his best performance, a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs.
Joe Lendway added 11 points and five rebounds; Kellan Turner nine points, Xavier Gaona eight and Devante Sayles seven for the Blue Devils. Mike Lee and Sayles led in assists with four while Murray added three.
KCKCC finished with more rebounds (35-32) and fewer turnovers (18-14) but could never overcome a 24-16 Iowa Western start built on 61.5 percent first half shooting.
Boasting a roster of players from 10 states and one foreign country (Ivory Coast), Iowa Western had five players in double figures.
Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.