• DMACC trails by as many as 17 points before rallying in the closing minutes
• Sophomore Joy Beran leads the Bears with 17 points
• Sophomore Mary Walker and freshmen Whitney Jensen and Aunasia Dunn also score in double figures

The DMACC women's basketball team saw a late rally come up just short as the Bears dropped a 66-64 decision to Iowa Western Community College (IWCC) January 15 at Council Bluffs.

DMACC, which fell to 12-6 overall and 5-3 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC), trailed by as many as 17 points in the game before rallying in the final eight minutes.

Sophomore Joy Beran of Riceville led the Bears with 17 points. Sophomore Mary Walker of Fonda added 10 points and freshmen Whitney Jensen of Remsen and Aunasia Dunn of Kansas City, Mo., added 11 and 10 points respectively.

DMACC trailed 18-15 at the end of the first quarter and failed to score for just more than five minutes early in the second period as IWCC built a 32-15 lead behind 14 unanswered points. The Bears closed to within nine points at halftime, 37-28, then fell behind by 17 points in the third quarter 55-38 and settled for a 58-43 deficit at the end of the period.

IWCC went up by 17, 60-43, in the first minute of the fourth quarter and had a 16-point lead at 63-47 with 8 minutes, 31 seconds to play. Beran's layup ignited a 9-0 run that saw the Bears close to within 63-56 with just more than two minutes remaining. IWCC went up 65-56 with 1:48 left and back-to-back three-pointers from Beran and Jensen and a pair of free throws from Beran got DMACC within one at 65-64 with 41 seconds left. IWCC's Caela Tighe made one of two free throws with five seconds left, pushing the Reivers lead to 66-64, and Jensen's shot to tie the game with one second left was off the mark.

DMACC shot 29 percent, making 21 of 73 field goal attempts. The Bears were 12-of-34 from three-point range and 10-of-15 from the free throw line.

IWCC, which improved to 9-7 overall and 3-3 in the ICCAC, shot 42 percent from the field, hitting 26 of 62 field goal attempts. The Reivers were 11-of-23 from three-point range and 3-of-12 from the free throw line.

IWCC had a 46-31 advantage on the boards with Beran's eight rebounds leading DMACC. Dunn led the Bears in assists with six and Walker and Jensen topped DMACC in steals with three apiece.

The DMACC women's basketball team will host Ellsworth Community College (ECC) on Jan. 18. Game time is 1 p.m. inside the DMACC gymnasium. ECC is 14-2 overall and 7-1 in the ICCAC.