AUSTIN — The Rochester Community and Technical College men's basketball team turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 15-point win Saturday against Riverland Community College.
The Yellowjackets used stellar defense to gain control in the second half and beat Riverland 75-60.
RCTC won its eighth straight and improved to 24-1 overall and 9-1 in conference play. The Yellowjackets also swept the two-game regular season series against Riverland.
"We didn't play a great first half; actually it was a very poor first half," said RCTC head coach Brian LaPlante.
"In the second half we did a much better job, especially defensively, holding them to 24 points and 27-percent shooting."
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Joe Beck, a freshman center from Lake City, led RCTC with 15 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots. He was one of five Yellowjackets who scored in double figures.
Also for RCTC, Torren Dowdy had 15 points and six assists; Al Tillman had 13 points, seven rebounds, six steals and six assists; Chaz Sharp, 12 points and eight rebounds; and David Fritsch, 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Yellowjackets had a small rebounding edge, but LaPlante said the story of the game was shooting efficiency. RCTC shot 44 percent, compared to 30 percent for Riverland.
RCTC has three regular-season games remaining, the next one Wednesday at home against Fergus Falls.
