Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

No. 14 KCC men lose to No. 9 Lincoln

LINCOLN, Ill. - The 14th-ranked Kirkwood men's basketball team fell behind by 17 points at halftime Saturday and lost to No. 9 Lincoln College, 86-77, for its first setback of the year.

The Eagles pulled within seven points in the second half, but could not get any closer.

Tajen Ross tossed in 25 points for Kirkwood. Doug Wilson scored 20  points, Chris King had 12 and LJ Stansbury added 11.

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No. 1 Eagles spank No. 5 Parkland

The difference between the No. 1 team in the country and the No. 5  team was a whopping 38 points Friday night.

The top-ranked Kirkwood women's basketball team walloped fifth-ranked  Parkland, 78-40, in the opening round of the Kirkwood Classic at  Johnson Hall with stifling defense and a deep bench.

The Eagles punished Parkland, 20-2, in the second quarter and built a  pair of 45-point leads in the second half.

"I think we wore them down," said Kirkwood Coach Kim Muhl. "They were  getting looks, but they were just too tired to shoot them."

Muhl used a 10-player rotation in the first half while building a  commanding 36-11 cushion at intermission. All told, 13 players got  into the game and everyone scored.

"I like how we played," said Muhl. "Our defense was really good in the  first half."

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Wilson shows his stuff for No. 14 Eagles

Doug Wilson had five crowd-pleasing dunks for the Kirkwood Eagles Tuesday night during their 84-55 victory over the William Penn junior varsity, but it was nothing new for the lanky 6-foot-7 forward from Des Moines Hoover.

He did it quite frequently in high school.

Wilson can run all night, snare rebounds, play defense and score around the rim with authority.

"That's pretty much been a trademark for me since I started playing  basketball," he said. "I just try to find different ways to score and  help my team with energy and stuff like that."

Wilson finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals as Kirkwood raised its record to 3-0.

Wilson has the tools to play at an NCAA Division I school, but he did not meet NCAA academic requirements to play as a freshman and must get his junior college degree before moving to a four-year school.

He has incentive to work harder in the classroom so he can play at a major college some day. "I need to focus more and stay on task and just get it done," he said.

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KCC volleyball falls in regional finals

IOWA FALLS - Two key injuries caught up to the Kirkwood women's volleyball team Saturday.

The 13th-ranked Eagles, playing without Ady Wintermote and Brianna Eberhardt, lost to 20th-ranked Northeast Community College, 25-11,  19-25, 25-22, 16-25, 15-7, in the regional championship on a neutral floor in Iowa Falls.

Northeast advances to the NJCAA Division II national tournament. Kirkwood, which placed seventh in the national tourney in 2015 and 2016, finished the season with a 25-17 record.

Wintermote, who leads the Eagles in kills, missed her second straight match with a sprained ankle. Eberhardt, who leads the Eagles in digs, missed the last two weeks of the season with a concussion.

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Marble, King pace No. 14 Eagles

OTTUMWA - Carlo Marble and Chris King popped in five 3-pointers Saturday to help the 14th-ranked Kirkwood Eagles top 17th-ranked Johnson County, 89-73, in the second round of the Indian Hills Classic in Ottumwa.

Marble finished with 21 points and King added 15 as the Eagles raised their record to 2-0. Doug Wilson pitched in with 12 points, Tajen Ross scored 10 and Jalen Taylor had 10.

Kirkwood shot well from 3-point range, making 13 of 22. The Eagles made 14 3-pointers in a victory over Mesa Community College Friday, giving them 27 triples in two games.

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No. 1 Kirkwood women roll by 30

SEDALIA, Mo. - Tay Wilson and Awal Ajak led a balanced attack with 10 points apiece Saturday as the top-ranked Kirkwood women's basketball team bounced State Fair, 76-46, at the State Fair tournament in  Missouri.

Tinee'sha Coleman and Olivia Usher grabbed six rebounds for Kirkwood. Wilson had four assists.

The Eagles, who won the NJCAA Division II national title last year with a 37-0 record, lost to Iowa Western in the first round of the State Fair tournament Friday and are 1-1 for the new campaign.

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King sparks No. 14 Eagles by Mesa

OTTUMWA - Chris King popped in 22 points and dished out 13 assists Friday as the 14th-ranked Kirkwood Eagles began the season with an 87-77 victory over Mesa Community College in the opening round of the  Indian Hills Classic in Ottumwa.

King, a 6-foot point guard from Des Moines, also grabbed five rebounds in the victory and hit four 3-point shots.

Carlo Marble made three 3-pointers for Kirkwood and scored 19 points.  Doug Wilson scored 15 points and Jay Small added 11 points with three 3-pointers.

The Eagles made 14 3-pointers in the ballgame in 31 attempts.

Brent Kimbrel topped Mesa with 19 points.

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No. 1 Kirkwood women nipped in opener

SEDALIA, Mo. - The streak is over.

The Kirkwood women's basketball team was trimmed by Iowa Western, 55-52, in the first game of the season Friday in the opening round of the State Fair Classic in Sedalia, Mo.

Kirkwood won all 37 of its games last season on its way to the NJCAA Division II national title, but the Eagles ran into a talented  Division I team Friday that features an international roster.

Kirkwood is ranked No. 1 in NJCAA Division II and Iowa Western is ranked No. 18 in NJCAA Division I.

The Eagles ed, 31-23, at halftime and took a slim 46-45 lead into the  final quarter, but the Rievers outscored the Eagles 10-6 in the final  10 minutes to claim the victory.

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Young Eagles begin year at No. 14 in nation

If you'd like to figure out who's playing for the Kirkwood men's basketball team this season, make sure you pick up a roster when you get to Johnson Hall for a game.

There are a lot of new names and faces to memorize.

There are 12 new players on the 15-man roster this season. That makes only three returning players for Coach Bryan Petersen, and sophomore Ethan Meeker will be sidelined another month with a broken wrist after being a key player for Kirkwood last year.

Chris King and Carlo Marble are the only two veterans who will take  the court Friday night when the 14th-ranked Eagles open the season against Mesa Community College at the Indian Hills Classic in Ottumwa.

Petersen said the Eagles have looked just "OK" in preseason drills.

"The group has grown in some areas, but it's been a very up-and-down fall when it comes to consistency, but that's usual when it comes to freshmen," he remarked.

"We're a little behind. I think it was expected a little bit, having so many new guys."

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