MADISON, WISC. - Wednesday night's narrow 70-65 loss to Joliet Junior College marked the third time this season the Madison College men's basketball team has dropped four consecutive games, and the second time that it came to the same combination of four ranked or nearly ranked opponents. The WolfPack's prior three losses were to teams listed among the nation's top, while the most recent defeat was at the hands of a Wolves team currently receiving votes in the NJCAA Division III poll.

Forward Ethan Lurquin made one of two free throws to hand Madison College (10-17, 4-9) a 60-59 lead with 4:48 to play, capping a 16-0 run. Lurquin would score five more points, accounting for all of the WolfPack's remaining scores. However, JJC was nearly perfect down the stretch. The Wolves made 2-of-4 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws to close out the game on a 16-5 burst.

The back-and-forth affair saw a total of five ties and 11 lead changes, most of which came in a first half that Madison College lead for a majority of the time. The WolfPack advantage grew to as much as seven before settling for a 32-28 edge at the half.

The second half started much the same, with the lead changing hands until Joliet (21-8, 9-4) engineered a 22-7 run sparked by an 11-0 stretch to increase their lead to 15 points with 8:48 remaining. That's when the WolfPack began their offensive assault to regain the lead in the final five minutes. The run was highlighted by back-to-back triples from Lurquin, two of three made by the home team in the four-minute span that saw the 'Pack knock down 5-of-8 shots and 3-of-4 free throws.

Madison College finished the game going 13-for-24 (54%) from beyond the arc to help negate the 30-8 edge in points in the paint for the Wolves, who have now won three straight and 20 of 24 all-time against the 'Pack.

Ethan Lurquin, the Poynette, Wisconsin, product, tallied his second-highest point total of the season with 27 points. He converted six of his 11 tries from deep, part of a 9-for-20 performance overall. The first-year transfer also finished with nine rebounds to fall a board shy of his first career double-double. Second-year guard Tyler Meier was also hitting from long range with four makes en route to 15 points and six rebounds. Kristian Zimmerman continued his strong play off the bench with ten points, three rebounds, and three assists. The trio combined to score all but 13 of the WolfPack's points.

Madison College and head coach Scot Vesterdahl will finish out the regular season on Saturday as Harper College comes to town on Sophomore Day. Prior to the 3:00 p.m. tip at Redsten Gym, the six-member class of second-year players will be honored as part of the pregame lead-up. Then the WolfPack will play for a fourth consecutive win and second straight season sweep against the Hawks (10-19, 1-12). Madison College won by a 75-57 margin last month in Palatine, Illinois, to spark a season-long three-game win streak. Harper comes in having lost a North Central Community College Conference-high ten straight games and are currently tied for last place.