The Roadrunners traveled to Council Bluffs on Jan. 31 to take on the Iowa Western Community College Reivers. SFCC (11-12) fell 89-63. The Reivers, who are receiving votes in this week's NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Poll, jumped out to a quick 12-1 lead using the three-point shot. 

"Iowa Western came out red-hot and made shots early in the game," said Head Coach Kevin Thomas. "We played catch-up the entire night. After the first seven minutes, we settled down and were able to make stops on the defensive end." 

The Reivers led 32-18 at halftime. SFCC shot 22.6 percent from the field in the opening half. In the second half Iowa Western outscored SFCC 57-45. 

"We did a better job of running our offense in the second half," said Thomas. "We got into good scoring positions, but we just couldn't hit the basket." 

Sophomore guard Corey Mendez scored a team-high 17 points and led in assists with five. He also tied for the lead in steals with freshman guard Onteral Woodson Jr. with two each. Woodson contributed 14 points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore forward Amir Smith added 11 points, 10 rebounds and a team-high five blocked shots. 

SFCC will go on the road Feb. 4 for another Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference game against Three Rivers Community College. Tipoff is 7 p.m. 

"There is going to be a big crowd at Three Rivers, so we'll need to play with confidence" said Thomas. "We need to focus on keeping the score close with solid defense, rebounding, running an efficient offense, and limiting turnovers." 

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics