#6 Cyclones Finish First Week of MCAC Play

The first week of MCAC Southern Division play saw two games go down to the wire. 

The #6 Cyclones began Southern Division play on Wednesday at home vs Anoka-Ramsey.  The two programs have played many tight games over the past few years, so it was expected that fans would see another close one.  SCTCC jumped out to a 51-36 lead at half-time by using some solid shooting and taking advantage of opportunities at the free throw line (11-14).  The visitors charged back while taking advantage of some early Cyclone mistakes in the second half.  Down the stretch, both teams made big shots.  With the Cyclones down by 3 late in the game, sophomore Keshawn Sutton hit a corner 3 to tie the score at 82.  Anoka-Ramsey would counter with a jumper of their own with 2 seconds remaining and eventually win the game 84-82.  Paul Coleman led the Cyclones with 22 points.  Jazz Boker and Eric Racine added 15 in the loss. Full Box Score

Saturday, the Cyclones traveled to Rochester for an afternoon matchup with the Yellow Jackets.  Looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season, SCTCC built a 38-30 halftime advantage.  The Cylcones kept RCTC at arms length for most of the second half, however a late flurry of baskets knotted the score up with under a minute to play.  With the score tied at 73 all, an underneath out-of-bounds play with 14 seconds remaining had the Cyclones on the verge of stealing one on the road.  Freshman guard Eric Racine caught the inbound pass and worked his way into hitting a free throw line jumper with 4 seconds left on the clock.  The Yellow Jackets raced the other way getting off a late 3-point attempt, but the shot fell short.  The 75-73 win pushed the Cyclones to an overall record of 12-1 and 1-1 in MCAC play.  Cyclones freshman Dillon Haider led all scorers with 22 points in the game.  Full Box Score