Spartan men rally in second half

It was an uphill battle much of the way, but the Southwestern men secured their first conference victory of the season here Wednesday night, 75-66, over Western Iowa Tech.

Western Iowa Tech took a 45-39 halftime lead and stretched it to a 10-point margin early in the second half before the Spartans began closing the gap. After trailing 51-43 with 14 minutes left, Southwestern seized the momentum with a 21-11 burst over the next 10 minutes. After taking that 64-62 advantage, the Spartans never relinquished the lead down the stretch.

Patrick Worrell’s fourth 3-pointer of the game with 45 seconds left created a 10-point margin at 74-64. Worrell, 6-4 sophomore from Douglas, Georgia, scored a team-high 19 points and six rebounds for the Spartans. Andrew Scroggins added 18 points with six rebounds and Donnary Fontenot finished with 12 points.

Southwestern’s defense tightened in the second half, according to coach Shane Sweany.

“In the first half we gave up 45 points, in the second half we held them to 21,” Sweany said. “We got more active defensively with more intensity and urgency. We did a better job on the defensive glass. I thought Bodgan Cret had some really good passes down the stretch and Andrew (Scroggins) gave us a spark with some great finishes around the rim.”

Donnary Fontenot hit some big shots in the second half as well and finished with 12 points. James Braddy handled the point guard position in the absence of Kyren Angelo and chipped in seven points and four assists. Fatih Huyuk defended the lane well and the 6-7 sophomore finished with nine points.

Reserve guard Rickie Wright went down with a knee injury in the first half. His condition wasn’t known yet during postgame discussions. Wright was unable to put any weight on his right leg while assisted off the court.

“We’re praying it’s not too serious, but he was in a lot of pain,” Sweany said.

The Comets of Sioux City, in their first year as a member of the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference, fell to 0-5 in league play and 4-9 overall.

Weekend victory

The Spartans, meanwhile, improved to 9-8 overall and 2-4 in the conference in extending their winning streak to four games with a 68-55 road victory at Iowa Central on Saturday. The Tritons fell to 0-5 in league play and 3-11 overall.

Southwestern rallied from a 28-24 halftime deficit to outscore the Tritons 44-27 on their home court. Fatih Huyuk led a balanced Spartan attack with 14 points and eight rebounds. James Braddy had 13 points. Joseph Bell provided 10 points and eight rebounds and Andrew Scroggins chipped in nine points and six rebounds.

Southwestern hosts fourth-ranked DMACC (14-2, 5-1) at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

SOUTHWESTERN (92) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 29 9-14 75. Patrick Worrell 7 1-3 19, Andrew Scroggin 8 2-2 18, Donnary Fontenot 4 2-3 12, James Braddy 2 3-4 9, Fatih Huyuk 4 1-2 9, Joseph Bell 2 0-0 4, Bodgan Cret 2 0-0 4. FG shooting — 29-55 (52.7%). 3-point goals — 8-23 (Worrell 4, Fontenot 2, Braddy 2). Rebounds — 23 (Scroggins 6, Worrell 6, Fontenot 3, Cret 3). Assists — 17 (Braddy 4, Cret 4, Huyuk 3). Steals — 11 (Cret 3, Braddy 2). Blocked shots — 1 (Worrell 1). Turnovers — 14. Team fouls — 8. Fouled out — None.

WESTERN IOWA TECH (66) — Totals — (FG FT PTS) 26 5-8 66. Bie Ruei 4 3-4 13, Manuel Paul 5 2-2 13, Zeb Svoboda 3 0-0 9, Joshua Scott 3 0-0 7, Keishaun Pendleton 3 0-2 7, Ahmad Ingram 3 0-0 6, Simarion Anderson 2 0-0 5, Jailyn Spears 1 0-0 2, Nhial Manuel 1 0-0 2, Leroy Pooser 1 0-0 2. FG shooting — 26-52 (50%). 3-point goals — 9-20 (Svoboda3, Ruei 2, Scott 1, Paul 1, Anderson 1, Pendelton 1. Rebounds — 28 (Paul 8). Assists — 16 (Pendleton 6). Steals — 5 (Anderson 3). Turnovers — 22. Team fouls — 12. Fouled out — None.