Kirkwood Mens Basketball

Kirkwood men sink Iowa Lakes

Mental toughness was a key ingredient in Kirkwood's national championship run last March.

That same vibe was evident Thursday night for the Kirkwood men in the Region XI semifinal against Iowa Lakes.

The teams went back and forth for the first 32 minutes as neither led by more than seven points during that span.

However, the final eight minutes belonged to Kirkwood. Paced by a monster night from sophomore Miles Wentzien, the Eagles gradually pulled away for a 97-84 victory at Johnson Hall.

No. 15 Kirkwood (25-6) now faces a monumental challenge in Saturday's 3 p.m. regional final. The Eagles hit the road to meet No. 1 Southwestern (31-1) in Creston.

The Spartans' only loss was a 78-75 setback against Kirkwood on Jan. 11 in Cedar Rapids. They advanced with an easy 94-62 win on Thursday over Ellsworth.

The Eagles had a little payback on their mind Thursday after dropping a 101-73 decision to Iowa Lakes last Saturday in Mason City.

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King me! Kirkwood escapes NIACC

The defending national champions were in trouble Tuesday night in the  opening round of the regional tournament when Da'Rion King came came  to the rescue for the Kirkwood Eagles.

King muscled in 12 points during a key six-minute stretch late in the  game to help the 15th-ranked Eagles escape NIACC, 78-71, in a tense  ballgame at Johnson Hall.

Kirkwood (24-6) will host 19th-ranked Iowa Lakes (22-8) in the NJCAA  Division II regional semifinals Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

King, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Racine, Wis., finished with 23 points  and 11 rebounds for the Eagles, doubling his season-long averages of  11.1 points and 5.6 boards.

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No. 12 Kirkwood men fall at Iowa Lakes

ESTHERVILLE - The 12th-ranked Kirkwood men's basketball team suffered  its worst loss of the season Saturday with a 101-73 setback at Iowa  Lakes.

The loss dropped the Eagles to 23-6 overall and 9-3 in the ICCAC conference.

Kirkwood drew the No. 2 seed for the regional tournament and will host  NIACC in the opening round Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Chris King led the Eagles Saturday with 25 points. Miles Wentzien scored 14.

Kyle Beisch scored 22 points and Dennis Joiner had 20 for Iowa Lakes (21-8, 8-4).

Wentzien nets 28 as Eagles top NIACC

Kirkwood sophomore Miles Wentzien is a grown man with muscles upon muscles, but nobody makes it through a college basketball season without a few bumps and bruises.

Wentzien missed two games last month after injuring his collarbone and  sternum in a game against Ellsworth, but he's relatively healthy now  and ready for the stretch run.

Wentzien tossed in 28 points and grabbed six rebounds Wednesday night  as the 12th-ranked Eagles pulled away from NIACC, 81-63, in a  conference game at Johnson Hall.

Wentzien was hit in the jaw by an errant elbow Wednesday and needed a  few moments to shake it off, but otherwise said he feels good as the  season has moved into March.

"I felt pretty close to 100 percent out there tonight," he said. "I'd  say 95 to 100 percent."

That's good news for Kirkwood, which will need all of its players in  good health as they try to win a second national title in a row.

Kaliph Fagan, a key member of the bench brigade, did not play against  NIACC after turning his ankle in practice Tuesday, but he plans to  play Saturday in the final game of the regular season at Iowa Lakes.

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