• Five other DMACC players also score in double figures
• Bears never trail in improving to 26-1 overall and 17-0 in the ICCAC
• DMACC clinches no worse than a tie for its third consecutive ICCAC championship

Freshman Malcolm Bragg of Newark, N.J., led six players in double figures with 18 as the DMACC men's basketball team ran its winning streak to 20 consecutive games behind a 97-67 win over Iowa Western Community College (IWCC) February 14 inside the DMACC gymnasium.

Sophomores Kaden Tate of Pearland, Texas, and Rylan Smith of Lincoln, Neb., tallied 15 points apiece, freshman Kavon Phillips of Davenport had 14 and freshmen Hunter Gawron of Skokie, Ill., and Brent Taylor of Flossmoor, Ill., had 12 and 10 points respectively as the Bears improved to 26 -1 overall and 17-0 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC).

With the win, DMACC clinched no worse than a tie for its third consecutive ICCAC regular season championship. A win in one of their last three games will give the Bears the title outright.

DMACC, ranked second in the most recent Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), had to come from seven points behind in the last six minutes to get an 88-82 decision from the Reivers when they played the Reivers Jan. 14 at Council Bluffs but that wasn't the case this time as DMACC never trailed in sweeping the season series between the two teams. Bragg's three-pointer at the 18 minute, 51 second mark of the first half put the Bears ahead 6-3 and they never looked back.

DMACC had a 46-28 lead at halftime and its advantage to as many as 36 points late in the second half.

The Bears shot 46 percent from the field, making 33 of 72 shots. They were 16-of-38 from three-point range and 15-of-19 from the free throw line.

IWCC got a team-high 15 points from Zayden Best. The Reivers made 24 of 64 field goal attempts for 38 percent. They were 6-of-23 from three-point range and 13-of-22 from the free throw line.

Tate grabbed nine rebounds to lead DMACC to a 54-34 advantage on the boards. Freshman Solomon Mosley of Chicago, Ill., had eight rebounds, Gawron finished with six and freshmen Landen Norris of Knoxville and Kiki Deng of Des Moines had five apiece. Deng dished out a team-high four assists and Norris and Smith had three apiece. Taylor, Bragg, Smith and Deng came away with three apiece. Tate led the Bears in steals with three.

The DMACC men's basketball team will play Northeast (Neb.) Community College (NECC) Feb. 18 at Norfolk, Neb. NECC is 12-11 overall and 8-9 in the ICCAC. The Hawks' losses include a 106-66 setback against the Bears Dec. 15 inside the DMACC gymnasium.