Cyclones Rally Late For Win

The SCTCC men's basketball team struggled for most of Wednesday night's game at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, MN.  The first road test for the Cyclone's was a little overwhelming at times, and found the green and gold down as much as 19 points in the first half, and by 20 in the second half.  The team showed some toughness and determination throughout the remainder of the game, and found a way to win. 
The Cyclone's could not seem to find their shooting stroke from near or far early on.  The team struggled from beyond the 3 point line (0/10) and from the free throw line (5/13) in the first 20 minutes, shooting 36% from the field.  Meanwhile, the home Vikings had it working, shooting 49% as a team.  ICC was lead by Quenton Housely with 16 points in the first half.  A late steal and score from freshman Ashton Bailey (Chicago, IL) gave the Cyclone's a little momentum heading into the locker room, SCTCC remained down 51-35.
After the break, it was a game of runs by both teams.  The Cyclone's cut the lead to single digits on two occasions early in the second half, only to see ICC stretch the lead back out.  The lead was 72-52 with just over 10 minutes remaining.  SCTCC was still down 80-67 with just under 5 minutes on the game clock, and continued to play hard on both ends of the floor.  The Vikings saw their last points of the game with 3:36 left, at which point they had an 11 point advantage.  It was all Cyclone's to close out the game, as they finished on a 12-0 run capped off by sophomore Jared Noonan (Richfield, MN) floater in the paint with 2.2 seconds on the clock to put SCTCC up 83-82.  A last second attempt by ICC went awry, as the Cyclone's completed the comeback.
SCTCC was lead in the scoring column by sophomore Riley West (Lakeville,MN) with 19, freshman Ashton Bailey added 17 off the bench, and Jared Noonan finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Game Stats vs ICC
Men's basketball returns home for two games this weekend.  Saturday afternoon at 3pm the Cyclone's will face Central Lakes College.  On Sunday, they will play Mayville State JV at 12pm.  Follow along online with the Game Webcast for each home game.