• Freshman Shelton Colwell Jr., leads DMACC with 18 points
• Five other players also score in double figures
• DMACC shoots 60 percent from the field

Freshman Shelton Colwell, Jr., of Newark, N.J., led six players in double figures with 18 points as the DMACC men's basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with a 125-71 win over the William Penn University Junior Varsity (WPUJV) Nov. 1 inside the DMACC gymnasium.

Colwell, Jr., got his 18 points from 7-of-9 shooting from the field, including 2-2 from three-point range, and going 2-of-2 at the free throw line.

Freshmen Kiki Deng of West Des Moines, Malcolm Bragg of Newark, N.J., and Brent Taylor of Flossmoor, Ill., sophomore Johnnie Jones of Milwaukee, Wis., and freshman Landen Norris of Knoxville joined Colwell, Jr., in double figures. Deng scored 14 points, Bragg had 12, Taylor and Jones contributed 11 points apiece and Norris added 10.

DMACC, ranked seventh in the Division II preseason poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), trailed throughout the early stages of the game before taking the lead for good at 10-9 on a layup from freshman Hunter Gawron of Skokie, Ill., with 16 minutes to play in the opening half. The basket ignited a 21-6 run that gave the Bears a 29-15 advantage with less than 12 minutes remaining before halftime.

DMACC led 59-45 at intermission and put the game out of reach by outscoring the Statesmen 66-26 in the second half. The final margin was the Bears' biggest lead of the game.

DMACC shot 60 percent from the field, making 52 of 87 field goal attempts. The Bears were 11-of-27 from three-point range and made 10 of 13 free throw attempts.

WPUJV got a team-high 11 points each from Dami Alabi and James Hopkins. The Statesmen made 27 of 68 field goal attempts, including 6-of-22 from three-point range. They drained 11 of 12 free throw attempts.

Sophomore Kaden Tate of Pearland, Texas, led DMACC to a 46-32 advantage on the boards with eight rebounds, including six defensive rebounds, and also recorded five blocked shots. Sophomore Rylan Smith of Lincoln, Neb., dished out a team-high six assists. Colwell, Jr., had five assists and Taylor, Deng and freshman Kavon Phillips of Davenport had four assists apiece. Taylor came away with a team-high four steals.

The DMACC men's basketball team continues a six-game homestand against John Wood Community College (JWCC) Nov. 4. Game time is 6 p.m. inside the DMACC gymnasium.