Ethan Lurquin and the Madison College men's basketball team seemed primed for their second North Central Community College Conference (N4C) win leading by ten with less than eight minutes to play Saturday against #5 Triton College (NJCAA DII) at Redsten Gym in Madison. The lead would not hold as the WolfPack suffered a 67-60 setback in their second straight game against a nationally ranked opponent after losing to NJCAA DIII front-runner Rock Valley College.

After leading for all but the first three-plus minutes of the first half and taking a 31-28 advantage into the locker room, Madison College (7-11) continued to build against the Trojans as the second half wore on. The 'Pack stretched the lead to a game-high 11 points, and still led by ten at 52-42 with 7:40 remaining when Triton made its charge. The visitors outscored the Navy & Grey 25-8 to steal the win that keeps Triton College (18-2) atop the league standings at 4-0 and drops Madison College to 1-3. During that final stretch, the WolfPack committed eight turnovers and shot 1-for-6 from the floor. A 6-for-8 effort at the free throw line kept the home team in the game through the final minutes.

First year forward Ethan Lurquin remained locked in on the offensive end, scoring a career-high 28 points. He hit on three 3-pointers and making 11-of-15 free throw attempts. The transfer from Loras College has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games and four of the last five, while also reaching double-figures in every game since joining the team at the semester break. Tyler Meier was the only other player to reach double-digits, netting 13 points with three hits from beyond the arc. The sophomore from Monticello, Wisconsin, also led the team with six rebounds. Kristian Zimmerman finished with nine points and a team-best five assists. The WolfPack bench was outscored 36-4.

Turnovers and interior play haunted the WolfPack throughout the contest, despite outshooting the Trojans from distance and at the free throw line. Madison College handed it over 18 times, leading to 18 Triton College points. The Trojans also turned 16 offensive rebounds into a dozen more second chance points, and dominated the points in the paint tally by a 42-14 margin.

The WolfPack take on a third straight nationally ranked opponent Wednesday, January 20 when they battle #8 MATC-Milwaukee (NJCAA DIII). The rival Stormers enter with a 15-4 mark overall and 2-2 in N4C play. Madison College took two of three head-to-head matchups last season, marking the first time since the 2008-09 season the WolfPack won the season series. Tip off at Redsten Gym is at 7:30 p.m.