MASON CITY — The Iowa Central men suffered another tough setback here Wednesday night, falling to North Iowa Area, 87-80.

The loss was the sixth this season for the Tritons by single digits. Iowa Central (7-12 overall, 2-4 in ICCAC) has also dropped close games to Central-Columbus, Northeast (twice), Iowa Western and Iowa Lakes.

Andrew Gibb and Zack Foulks each scored 17 for Iowa Central, with Jeremiah Hurst adding 14 and Marquis Henry 13.

NIACC led by three at the break after erasing an early nine-point deficit. Iowa Central gained the advantage in the second half, going up by as many as five in the final 10 minutes.

James Harris for the Trojans gave them a lead at 79-76 with a made 3-pointer, as Foulks cut the deficit to two with just over two minutes to go. A key offensive rebound and putback for NIACC made it 84-78 with just under a minute to play.

Gibb tied it at 76-all with just over four minutes to go when he converted a three-point play. The former St. Edmond all-stater finished the game 9-for-9 at the charity stripe.

Harris finished with a game-high 28 points, hitting eight 3-pointers. Quentin Hardrict scored 22 and Wendell Matthews added 14 with 13 rebounds for the Trojans.

Javonte Keck chipped in seven points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Tritons, with Hurst, Gibb and Henry all grabbing four boards each.

The game featured seven ties and seven lead changes in all. After making seven 3-pointers in the first half, though, the Tritons went just 1-for-8 from deep in the final 20 minutes. NIACC hit seven triples in the first half and five more in the second.

Iowa Central returns home on Saturday to face the William Penn JV inside Hodges Fieldhouse at 1 p.m. Next conference action will be Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Ellsworth.

The Tritons and Trojans will meet on Saturday, Feb. 15 in Fort Dodge.