Fresh off a 22-day break for the holidays, and with a spark from a new face, the Madison College men's basketball team earned their first win of 2016 with an impressive 79-76 showing against visiting Kishwaukee College on January 2 at Redsten Gym. The WolfPack win snapped a two-game losing streak and marked just the second win in the last eight games.

After a back-and-forth start, Madison College reeled off a quick 9-1 run that grew to a larger 28-11 outburst over a nearly 12-minute stretch of the first half to grab the game's largest lead at 18 points. The lead, and the WolfPack, would be tested in the second half as the NJCAA Division II Kougars mounted numerous comebacks to pull to within one at 76-75 with 14 seconds to play. Sophomore Kristian Zimmerman then sank a pair of clutch free throws, followed by another conversion from first-year guard Zach Adkins, and 'Pack had survived.

Madison College owned the interior, outscoring the visitors by a 36-20 margin in the paint and securing nine more rebounds. Kishwaukee, though, took advantage of 18 WolfPack miscues to score a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers.

Zimmerman paced WolfPack with a team-high 21 points, 15 of which came in the half as he helped spark the home team to an early lead. The Green Bay native was 6-of-8 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line, while also dishing out a team-best seven assists and grabbed six rebounds. Newcomer Ethan Lurquin made an immediate impact after the first year player from Poynette, Wisconsin was added to the roster of the semester break. The 6'5" forward scored 18 points, including a couple of big three-point baskets, and had six boards, provided a renewed energy at both ends of the floor. Tyler Meier and Malik Henderson had equal stat lines, with a dozen points each and tying for team honors with seven rebounds.

Cortez McCree was the fifth player in double-figures, finishing with 11 points. However, the Madison La Follette product easily had the loudest basket of the day. McCree stole an inbound pass and raced to the other end, where he elevated over Kishwaukee defender, and emphatically threw down a left hand dunk that brought everyone in Redsten Gym to their feet. The first-year guard was fouled on the play, and converted the and-1 free throw to give Madison College a 47-36 lead with 15:22 left in the game. McCree also added four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.



The WolfPack will look to continue their winning ways in the new year with another home game Monday, January 4 against Fox Valley Technical College. It will mark the second game between the two intra-state rivals as Scot Vesterdahl's club began the season with a 60-50 win over the Foxes in Menasha on November 4, 2015. Tip off is at 7:30 p.m.

Also, the tip time for Madison College's game at UW-Marathon County on January 11 has been pushed back 30 minutes and will start at 7:30 p.m.