The Iowa Lakes Men's Basketball team came up just short in a hard-fought contest against North Iowa Area Community College, dropping a 69–66 decision on the road Saturday.

The Lakers came out strong, building a 34–28 lead at halftime behind the shooting of Jermaine Freeman, who poured in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-22 shooting, including four three-pointers. Freeman also added five rebounds, three steals, and a block to pace Iowa Lakes.

Germaal Forde provided a strong presence inside, finishing with 11 points and 8 rebounds, while Dominic Preiser chipped in 6 points and 7 boards off the bench. Cooper Harris added 6 points and a team-high 4 assists, helping the Lakers move the ball against NIACC's defense.

Despite holding the lead at the break, Iowa Lakes struggled to contain NIACC in the second half. The Trojans outscored the Lakers 41–32 after intermission, fueled by balanced scoring. NIACC also capitalized at the free-throw line, converting 20-of-27 attempts compared to Iowa Lakes' 9-of-13.

The Lakers shot 36.6% from the field and 21.7% from three-point range, while NIACC hit 42.6% overall. Iowa Lakes did win the rebounding battle 46–45, but turnovers (17) and foul trouble proved costly down the stretch.

With the loss, Iowa Lakes moves to 2-10 (0-4). The Lakers will look to bounce back in their final conference battle of 2025,  taking on Iowa Western in Estherville on December 17th at 7:30.