After having their season-long three-game win streak snapped, the Madison College men's basketball team wasted little time in returning to the win column with an 85-63 non-conference win at UW-Marathon County in Wausau, Wisconsin on Monday. The win was the 19th in 23 all-time meetings with the Huskies, and improved the WolfPack to 7-9 on the year.
The 'Pack jumped out to a quick 13-5 lead in the game's first three minutes, with freshman guard
Cortez McCree scoring five points in that run. The lead stretch to 11 on an
Ethan Lurquin jumper with 2:03 to play in the half before Madison College settled for a 42-33 edge at the break. Much the same in the second half, the WolfPack netted the first eight points and pushed their lead to as much as 20 on two occassions before finishing with a 9-2 burst. The 22-point victory is their third in seven tries away from Redsten Gym.
Madison College played opportunistic basketball, scoring 22 points off 15 Huskies turnovers, while also owning a 44-26 advantage in scoring in the paint and seven more points off second chance opportunities. The 'Pack shot 50% (34-68) overall and 5-for-13 outside the three-point arc, while holding UW-MC to marks of 38% and 27%, respectively. Both teams struggled at the free throw line, going a combined 15-of-47 (31.9%).
Ethan Lurquin matched a season-high 24 points to lead the WolfPack for a third consecutive game and bumped his scoring average to 20 points a game. The forward shot 10-of-18 to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Cortez McCree scored 17 points for his ninth double-digit scoring game of the season as he went an efficient 8-of-12 from the floor.
Tyler Meier's hot shooting touch continued with four triples, matching a season high from three game's prior. The veteran guard finished with 16 points and five rebounds. Joel O'Donnel came off the bench to score nine points and secure a team-best eight boards.
Kristian Zimmerman's run of seven straight games in double-figures ended with just four points on 1-of-7 shooting, but the guard handed out a team-leading seven assists for the fifth time in six games.
Next up for Madison College is a visit to the top-ranked NJCAA Division III team in the nation, Rock Valley College. The Golden Eagles are undefeated through 18 games this season and have won six straight against the WolfPack, including all three matchups last season. Tip off Wednesday, January 13 is set for 7:30 p.m. in Rockford, Illinois.
