ELGIN, ILL. - Playing on the road against one of the hottest teams in the country, the Madison College men's basketball team picked the wrong time to have a slow start that contributed to a 94-74 setback at Elgin Community College on Saturday. The WolfPack opened the game by making just two of its first 14 shots to go along with six turnovers as the host Spartans opened a 20-point lead in the first 8 minutes, 30 seconds.

The game remained competitive for the rest of the first half before Elgin Community College (10-0) stretched their advantage to as much as 34 in the second half. Madison College (4-5) finished the game shooting 40-percent (27-67), with eight 3-pointers and a 12-of-23 effort at the free throw line. The Spartans shot worse overall, but made a dozen shots from beyond the arc and were an impressive 25-for-30 (83%) from the charity stripe.

While most other team offensive categories finished fairly close, Elgin was able to control the glass by a 49-42 margin, including 17 offensive rebounds that turned into 26 second chance points. Comparatively, the WolfPack scored just four points off 11 offensive boards.

Freshman Paul Schmelzer III knocked down four 3-pointers for a career-high 21 points and his fourth straight double-digit scoring game. The former Monona Grove Silver Eagles athlete has boosted his scoring average by five points over six games.

The only other double-digit scorer for the WolfPack was fellow first year Tyree Young with ten points. Seven others made it into the scoring column, including sophomore Zach Adkins with nine points and freshmen Stavon Staples and Marquis Harris with eight points each. Sophomore Joel O'Donnell grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.

The WolfPack played without top scorer Shane Waldon, who is averaging 15.3 points per game.

Madison College plays its next two games at Redsten Gymnasium, starting with in-state foe Western Technical College (2-4) on Wednesday. The WolfPack and Cavaliers will be playing for the 87th time, with Madison College holding a 55-31 advantage in the series. The 'Pack have won two straight in the head-to-head series, but did win 29 consecutive games from 2001 to 2011. Game time is at 7:30 p.m.

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