The Madison College men's basketball team seemed to have it going Friday against UW-Waukesha, outscoring the Cougars 19-9 to close the first half with a ten-point lead. It would disappear in the second half, as the two teams battled into overtime, where the WolfPack went 0-for-4 to lose for a second straight game, 72-62, at Redsten Gym.
The two teams were knotted at nine early before Madison College slowly pulled away to build a double-digit lead over the final 13:22 going into the locker room. The 'Pack converted seven of it's final 19 shots and went 4-of-5 at the free throw line over that stretch. The lead grew to 17 points with 11:22 to play after a
Toby Andrews jumper made it 46-29. But UW-Waukesha finished regulation with a 30-13 burst to pull even in the final minute. After the Cougars missed on a chance to grab the lead with 25-seconds to play, Madison College's
Kristian Zimmerman and
Malik Henderson each had opportunities to secure the home win. Zimmerman's jumper missed and Henderson was unsuccessful on a pair of free throws, sending the game into overtime. During the extra five minutes, the WolfPack's only points came from the free throw line, while the Cougars hit three field goals and sealed the game with six made free throws in the last 54 seconds.
The two teams combined for 48 turnovers, with the Cougars taking better advantage with a 26-16 lead in points off turnovers. The visitors also led in points in the paint (28-22) and second chance points (9-4). Madison College did shoot a better percentage overall (38.6-35.4) and from outside the arc (37.5-26.9), but UW-Waukesha knocked down an impressive 19-of-21 free throws compared to a 12-for-20 effort by the 'Pack.
Tyler Meier led the WolfPack in scoring for the second time this season as the second-year player tallied 15 points, hitting half of his shots from behind the three-point line. He also matched
Marquise Pollard with a team-high five rebounds.
Kristian Zimmerman also reached double-figures with 11 points, to go along with a team-best seven assists.
Madison College will take a 22-day break from game action at the end of semester break before continuing their five-game homestand against Kishwaukee College on Saturday, January 2 at Redsten Gym. Gametime is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
