Macomb Community College Athletics

WARREN, Mich. – Braeden Holder scored 17 points and dished out eight assists to lead a balanced effort in a 92-87 home-opening win for Macomb Men's Basketball over the visiting Norse of Bay College on Saturday (Nov. 7). The Monarchs shift to 3-1 on the young season after picking up a victory at No. 11 Lansing Community College on Thursday and Saturday's five-point triumph over a Norse team that entered the contest receiving votes in the NJCAA Division II Preseason Poll. 

A back-and-forth opening half saw the visitors from Michigan's Upper Peninsula lead 44-43 at the halftime break. The Monarchs built a 10-point advantage with 4:01 remaining in the game, but a veteran Norse squad battled back to get within one possession late. The Monarchs made key plays down the stretch, including connecting on critical free throws late to capture the 92-87 victory. before Bay battled back to get within three. Saturday's five-point decision featured four ties and nine lead changes in all.

Holder's 17 points was a career-high in a Monarch uniform as the sophomore guard went 6-of-12 from the field overall while shooting at a 3-of-4 clip from 3-point land. Devin Lee netted 16 points on a 6-of-13 shooting effort that featured four 3-pointers and Kimari Barden notched a double-double with 16 points and a career-best 12 rebounds. The Detroit native added four assists in the hard-fought win.

Justin Gloster tallied 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Dante Wimberly had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. The balance continued down the box score as Caden Neves had nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks, and Simon Stockwell recorded nine points and four rebounds to round out the stat leaders for the Navy and White. 

As a team, the Monarchs shot 35-of-67 from the field and 8-of-17 from deep. The Monarchs put forth a dominant effort on the glass, out-rebounding the Norse, 48-28, including a 15-5 edge on the offensive boards. The 15-5 advantage on the offensive glass led to a 16-4 Macomb edge in second-chance points while the plus-20 rebounding margin keyed a 52-32 points in the paint advantage.

The Monarchs look for a third straight win Tuesday (Nov. 10) when they host Terra State Community College at The Den in Warren. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. following the women's contest.