Mason City, IA - The Reivers returned to action this Thanksgiving weekend playing three games at North Iowa Area Community College's Thanksgiving Challenge. Iowa Western played in dominating fashion over the weekend scoring an average of 85.6 points per game while being stifling on the defensive end only allowing 47 points per contest.
IWCC 70 Lake Region State 49
Iowa Western began the weekend taking on Region XIII member Lake Region State out of Devil's Lake, ND. The Reivers raced to a 17-11 point lead in the first quarter behind Zheniah Jackson's first half 12 points. The hot shooting continued in the second quarter as the lead extended 36-19 heading into the break. Sophomore Miya Bull took control of the game in the second half proving to be a huge spark recording her first double-double of the season scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Reivers finished the game shooting 41.3% from the field while limiting Lake Region to just 31%. Lake Region had two players in double figures, Maara Nelson with 16 and Annie Jorgenson with 12.
IWCC 98 St. Cloud TCC 44
St. Cloud TCC was the second opponent in the Thanksgiving Challenge on Saturday and right form the tip the Reivers controlled the game. Sophomore Jazza Johns lead the charge defensively as she finished the game with a double-double 19 points and 10 rebounds along with 4 steals. Along with Johns, scoring in double-figures was split amongst five players, Zheniah Jackson with her second game in double figures at 11, Delia Ania-Gaja with 10, Miya Bull scoring 12 and Kiara Dallmann pouring in 17.
The defensive pressure proved to be an issue for the Cyclones all game long as they ended the game with 35 turnovers. The Cyclones shot 31% from the field on 14 of 45 shots while the Reivers shot 62% on 41 of 66 shots.
IWCC 89 Rock Valley 48
The final match-up in Mason City was against another ranked foe, Rock Valley the #1 ranked NJCAA DIII team. The fast starts of IWCC continued as they jumped out to a 24-10 first quarter lead. The second quarter proved no different as the Reivers held RVCC to just five points leading by 31 points at the break. Freshman Kiara Dallmann dominated the paint scoring 18 points going perfect from the field (8 of 8) and charity stripe (2 of 2). Sophomore Christelle Nyauchi showed her strongest performance of the season after coming off injury scoring 12 points and pulling down 6 rebounds. The Illinois-Chicago signee, was everywhere defensively scoring on two consecutive transition players and a tip-in to end the third quarter.
Every player scored for IWCC as the Reivers finished game shooting 52.1% on 37 of 71 shots. Rock Valley was lead in scoring by Q Avery with 14 points. RVCC shot 17 of 55 for 31% including just 12.5% from behind the arc. This was the second #1 ranked opponent in the NJCAA polls that the Reiver's have defeated this season after defeating #1 NJCAA DII Kirkwood in the opening game of the season.
The Reivers return home on Tuesday, Nov. 28 to face on Ellsworth at 5 p.m. in the newly renamed Reiver Arena.
