MADISON, WISC. - The season's first test for the Madison College men's basketball team ended with a passing grade, thanks in large part to a steady dose of free throws, in a 96-85 win over NJCAA Division II McHenry County College on Wednesday at H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. All five starters scored in double-figures for the WolfPack, who won their season opener for the fourth consecutive year and for the second straight season against the Scots.

Both teams held the lead for various stretches for the game's first eight-plus minutes until a 10-0 run capped by back-to-back three-pointers put Madison College ahead for good at 24-15 with 10:21 left in the first half. McHenry County brought the game as close at two points late in the half behind 7-0 run, but a pair of Sean Suchomel free throws and a Tyree Young three at the buzzer ended the half with the WolfPack leading 43-36. The Scots again cut the margin to two on several occasions early in the second half, however, the 'Pack answered with 11 straight points as part of 15-2 run that maxed the home team's lead at 65-50. A short surge from MCC closed the gap to 77-71 with 5:27 to play before the 'Pack pulled away for the double-digit win.



Sophomore guard Jezzriah Burton scored a game- and career-high 22 points, hitting half of his eight field goals from beyond the arc. The 6'2" Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native shot 8-of-16 from the floor with a pair of free throws to surpass the 17-point effort he registered against McHenry County to lead the WolfPack past the Scots in last year's first game of the season. Fellow second year guard Tyree Young reached 20 points for the fourth time in his career behind a 5-for-11 shooting performance that included a pair of long distance makes. Young, who played with Burton at Nicolet HS, hit 8-of-12 from the charity stripe to key a 22-for-30 team effort by the WolfPack. The duo combined for seven assists, while Young came up with two blocks and two steals on defense.



Freshmen Brandon Robinson, Alex Easterday, and Anthony Johnson also scored in double-figures while making their first collegiate starts. Robinson connected on eight of his ten shots and 3-of-4 free throws en route to 19 points in his debut. The New Hope, Minnesota, native also contributed three of the team's nine blocks and two steals. Easterday and Johnson finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, and combined for 15 rebounds behind a team-best eight boards by Easterday despite missing most of the first half with foul trouble. Johnson also had a pair of blocks and steals. As did Sean Suchomel, to go along with seven points and a team-leading seven assists for the former Sun Prairie HS athlete.

For the game, Madison College was 32-of-65 (49.2%) overall and 10-for-28 (35.7%) outside the arc. McHenry County (0-1) put up similar number going 33-for-74 (44.6%) from the field and 9-of-23 (39.1%) from distance, while converting just 10-of-25 free throw attempts. The WolfPack held narrow margins in points off turnovers (+6), points in the paint (+4), and second chance points (+2) to improve to 2-1 in the all-time series.

Up Next:

Madison College (1-0) remains home for the season's second game when they host NJCAA Division I Highland Community College (0-0) on Saturday. The Cougars, who have three players from the Madison area on their roster, beat the WolfPack by 16 in Illinois last season to keep a five-game winning streak alive in the head-to-head series. They also own a 25-6 edge in the all-time wins count. Gametime is set for 3:00 p.m. at H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium on Family Day, which will honor the commitments and sacrifices made by the parents and families of the WolfPack student-athletes.

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