Southwestern Community College men's basketball continued its strong January stretch Saturday afternoon, edging Iowa Lakes Community College, 81–79, in an ICCAC contest at the Southwestern Student Center.

The Spartans built an early advantage behind efficient offense and active defense, taking a 31–23 lead into halftime. Iowa Lakes responded with 56 second-half points and multiple late pushes, but Southwestern executed down the stretch to secure its third straight victory and fifth win in its last six outings.

Justine De La Cruz led the Spartans with 17 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists, while Micah Hines matched him with 17 points off the bench and added a game-changing six steals. Niko Wilson finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and Alec Belter contributed 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds as Southwestern placed four players in double figures.

Southwestern shot 46.4 percent from the field and limited Iowa Lakes' transition opportunities, a key factor in holding off the Lakers late. The Spartans also forced 16 turnovers and recorded 13 steals, helping offset a narrow rebounding margin.

Head coach Darryl Fletcher pointed to areas of growth following the win. "We still need to continue to get better on the defensive side of the ball—we're fouling way too much," Fletcher said. "We started standing around on offense early, which limited us overall, but we got back on track and played well. Overall, I thought we kept them off the boards and limited them in transition."

Iowa Lakes was led by Jermaine Freeman's game-high 26 points, but Southwestern's balance and defensive pressure proved decisive.

The Spartans improve to 7–12 overall and 3–7 in ICCAC play and will look to continue their momentum Wednesday as they travel to face Northeast Community College.