In need of a win after four consecutive setbacks, the Madison College men's basketball earned a hard-fought, come-from-behind 64-63 road win over Western Technical College on Wednesday, December 2 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The win is the team's first in just over three weeks, and improves the WolfPack's road record to 2-3 after a five-game stretch away from Madison.
In a game that featured five ties and five lead changes, Madison College trailed by as much as 11 in the first half after a 19-8 outburst by the Cavaliers made it 22-11 with 6:39 to play. The WolfPack put together their first rally, going on a 14-6 run of their own to close the half down three. The stretch began on a
Griffin Eckhart jumper off of
Tyler Meier's offensive rebound and an assist from
Toby Andrews, featured six different players score, and finished with the WolfPack hitting 6-of-8 shots from the floor.
The second half saw Madison College play from behind until the 5:32 mark when
Tyler Meier converted a Western Tech turnover into a three-pointer, igniting a quick 13-5 turnaround that put the Wolpack up five with just over a minute remaining. Second year guard
Kristian Zimmerman sealed the win hitting four consecutive free throws down the stretch. The Green Bay native finished 7-of-10 at the line and 6-for-10 overall to score a game-high 19 points, to go along with team-highs of nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Cortez McCree was also near a double-double with ten points and eight rebounds, as well as three steals.Ten different WolfPack players scored, while a dozen found their hands on a rebound as they held an advantage of 15 on the glass. The Cavaliers were aggressive from deep, going 9-of-24 outside the arc, but Madison College controlled the paint with eight more interior points and seven second chance points off of 15 offensive rebounds.
Eckhart's stat line included seven points and three rebounds, while Meier tallied six points and seven boards. Marquise Pollard and Joel O'Donnell also chipped in with six point efforts.After nearly a month on the road, Madison College will play its next five games inside Redsten Gym in Madison, beginning Saturday, December 5 against Elgin Community College at 3:00 p.m. That day is also Madison College Youth Day, where any youth 17-years-old or younger will get free admission and one free bag of popcorn at the concession stand for wearing their team basketball jersey.
