MADISON, WISC. - The Madison College men's basketball team earned a much-needed win Saturday as it nearly led wire-to-wire in a 66-56 victory over the College of DuPage inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. After suffering four losses - all on the road - in their first five North Central Community College Conference games, the WolfPack opened a crucial four-game homestand by snapping a two-game losing skid. 

Visiting College of DuPage (3-13, 1-5) took a 1-0 lead with a free throw on their opening possession, an advantage that remained until freshman Marcus Riser scored inside two minutes later to hand Madison College a lead it would never relinquish. The bucket also started a 8-0 run that featured back-to-back three-pointers from freshmen Sean Suchomel and Alex Easterday. A 6-0 surge midway through the first half gave the WolfPack it's first double-digit lead of the afternoon at 23-12. Late in the half Suchomel would connect on another long distance shot to hand the home team a 34-21 edge at the break.



Throughout the second half the Madison College lead hovered around the ten-point mark, dipping slightly above and below. The Chaparrals made one final push as the half moved past the ten-minute mark, getting within seven points on three separate occasions. The final time came with the score at 57-50 with less than seven minutes remaining, however, the WolfPack answered with a 7-0 run highlighted by five points from freshman Kye Burcham. It was enough to stretch the differential to a gam-high 14 points before settling for the ten-point win.

Sophomore Tyree Young came off the bench for the first time in his career, snapping a streak of 48 consecutive starts, and responded with a team-high 15 points. The all-conference point guard made 5 of 10 shots, including one 3-pointer, and was a perfect 4 for 4 at the free throw line to extend his streak of double-digit scoring games to four straight.

Freshman Kye Burcham, who made his first career collegiate start, finished with 13 points as he hit half of his four field goals from outside the arc. The Madison Memorial HS product tied for the team lead alongside fellow first year Nathaniel Buss with three assists and three steals, in addition to collecting four rebounds.

Alex Easterday, a freshman from Elkhorn, Wisconsin, registered a dozen points to round out the double-digit scoring. Suchomel, who scored his six points on those two 3-pointers, was the WolfPack's top rebounder with five.

Madison College finished at 50% shooting for the game, marking the ninth time this season they have converted at least half of their attempts. The 24 for 48 effort included making 6 of 19 (31.6%) triples, while the Chaparrals went 21 for 57 (36.8%) overall and just 1 for 8 (12.5%) from downtown. Behind Young, the WolfPack bench outscored the COD bench by a 19-5 margin to help make up for an 11-2 disadvantage in second chance points. DuPage was plus-ten in total rebounds. Saturday's 24 turnovers matched a season worst for coach Bill Kegler's squad, and the second consecutive game with 20 or more turnovers.

The win is the fourth straight over the College of DuPage for Madison College, which now boasts an 11-10 lead in the all-time series.

Up Next:

Madison College (12-7, 2-4) resumes its homestand with a major test Wednesday, January 24 against Rock Valley College (19-3, 4-2), ranked #2 in the latest NJCAA Division III Poll. The two teams split their regular season series last season, with the WolfPack win snapping an eight-game Golden Eagles win streak that heavily contributed to their 27-15 edge in the head-to-head series. Game time at H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium is set for 7:30 p.m.

The game will be streamed live at MadisonCollege.TV, as well as via the Madison College Athletics Facebook and YouTube pages.

Follow WolfPack men's basketball: Facebook | Twitter