MADISON, WISC. - When they needed it most, the Madison College women's basketball team was unable to get enough stops on defense to prevent the Loras College (IA) JV from rallying for an 86-84 win over the #5 WolfPack on Friday at Redsten Gymnasium. The setback is the second of the season for first-year coach Lois Heeren's club, and it ended a three-game win streak.

Madison College (9-2) took a commanding 27-15 lead in the first quarter thanks to 11 Duhawks turnovers that turned into 17 points for the home team. The WolfPack were a solid 47% (8-17) shooting overall, including a pair of three-pointers, and 9-for-11 (81%) at the free throw line in the opening ten minutes.

That changed in the second quarter when the NCAA Division III Loras College JV (1-2) took control of the interior and free throw line to mount a 12-4 surge to end the half down two at 39-37. A successful three-point play conversion with 4:13 remaining triggered the run, which saw the Duhawks make 3-of-5 from the floor and 5-of-6 at the stripe.

Madison College regained control in the third with a 14-0 burst that turned a two-point deficit into a 55-43 advantage. Reigning NJCAA Division III Player of the Week Rachel Slaney scored nine of the 14 points before the advantaged slipped to just three heading into the fourth quarter, which again saw the home team build a double-digit lead twice within the first three minutes.

Owning a 73-64 edge after a Slaney layup with 6:35 to play, the WolfPack was outscored 22-11 the rest of the game. The 'Pack shot made just four of it's last 13 field goal tries and committed three turnovers in falling for the second time in three head-to-head meetings with Loras. It was also the first game won by the road team after the two programs split a home-and-home back in February 2012.

Sophomore Rachel Slaney finished with a game-high 26 points, pushing her run of double-digit scoring games this season to ten straight. The 5'10" forward made 6-of-17 shots with two 3-pointers, and converted 12-of-15 free throws for her fifth game of the year with ten or more made free throws. Beyond scoring, Slaney had a game-high ten rebounds for her fifth double-double and a team-leading five assists.

Freshman Megan Corcoran, who had led the WolfPack in scoring the previous two games, scored 21 points just two days after setting a career-high with 23 against Western Technical College. The Madison, Wisconsin, native knocked down three of her nine shots from long range and was 6-for-6 on free throws.

Fellow first year Peyton Trapino shot 8-for-18 overall for 17 points while grabbing six rebounds and a game-high six steals. The former DeForest (WI) HS athlete is averaging 15.3 points over her last three games and has scored ten or more points in seven games this season. Together, the trio of Slaney, Corcoran, and Trapino registered 76% of the Madison College scoring.


The WolfPack are off for a week before heading to Ironwood, Michigan, for the Gogebic Community College Classic on Friday, December 16 and Saturday, December 17. Madison College opens with a top five showdown against the top-ranked team in the latest NJCAA Division III Poll, Northland Community & Technical College (MN). The Pioneers are 8-1 and have won four straight games. It will be the just the second all-time meeting and the first since a nine-point win at the same tournament back in 1995. On Saturday, the WolfPack will battle the host and NJCAA DII Samsons (7-5) for the 44th time in program history. Madison College has won three straight - including a 68-50 win last season in Madison - and 16 of the last 20. Both game tip off at 2:00 p.m.

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