MILWAUKEE, WISC. - Despite only having six available players for Thursday night's contest against in-state foe Bryant & Stratton College, the Madison College men's basketball team received major contributions from everyone en route to picking up an 88-85 win. The WolfPack's second straight win featured plenty of long-range shooting as the 'Pack racked up 15 three-pointers, the most in a single game in more than four years, to beat the NJCAA Division II Bobcats in back-to-back years.

Five different players scored in double-figures to help Madison College reach its third highest output of the season. Sophomore Jezzriah Burton matched a career-high with 22 points to lead the way, including 15 in the first half. The former Nicolet HS athlete was 6-for-15 from the floor, including four makes from outside the arc. He also posted a 6-for-8 effort at the free throw line. Burton scored the WolfPack's final 12 points of the first half and emphatically beat the halftime buzzer with a soaring two-handed put-back dunk of a Nathaniel Buss three-pointer to extend their lead to 49-33.

Freshman Alex Easterday enjoyed a hot streak of his own in the first half, draining four of his five 3-pointers in a three-minute span of the first half, as he scored 16 of his career-high 21 before halftime. The Elkhorn, Wisconsin, native buried three triples in consecutive possessions and a fourth three possessions later. Easterday had made just six 3's in the team's previous six games combined and ends a string of four straight games scoring less than ten points.

The other three starters, Anthony Johnson, Tyree Young, and Nathaniel Buss, scored 17, 13, and 11 points, respectively. Johnson, a freshman from Beloit, Wisconsin, was nearly perfect on the night, hitting 7-of-8 shots overall and connecting on all three of his tries beyond the arc for his fifth game in double-digits. Young also added seven assists and five rebounds to extend his streak of games with at least ten points to five. And for Buss, the 5'11" freshman guard, is averaging 14.5 points over the last two games after scoring 14 total points in the season's first six outings.

The only non-starter, freshman guard Sean Suchomel, had just four points, but paced Madison College with a career-best ten assists and seven rebounds.

Easterday's outburst gave the WolfPack a 22-20 lead, which became 28-22 after back-to-back Anthony Johnson three-pointers. Following just straight points by Young and a Suchomel three, Burton took over to push the lead to 16 points.

The double-digit advantage lasted for the first five-and-a-half minutes of the second half before the Bobcats used an 8-0 run to crawl within 60-56 and gain momentum. Madison College, however, never wavered and regained a 78-67 edge on Burton's final three-point make with 6:39 to play. Easterday's final three made it 83-72 before Bryant & Stratton scored 13 of the next 16 points to close within one after a pair of free throws from former WolfPack player Brian Bearden (2014-15). Both teams would miss jump shots on their ensuing possessions before Young provided the final three-point cushion with a two successful free throws in the final ten seconds, along with some lockdown defense for the Bobcats final possession and game-tying shot at the buzzer. 

Bryant & Stratton (4-6) bested the WolfPack by a 38-26 margin in points in the paint and a 12-4 differential in second chance points to keep the score close. Madison College shot a season-best 53.4% overall, going 31-for-58 from the floor and 15-of-28 from downtown for another season-high percentage of 53.6. Their 14 turnovers were also a season-low as the 'Pack improved to 2-2 against Region IV opponents.

Up Next:

Madison College (5-3) is back home Saturday, December 2 to face Region IV foe Elgin Community College (7-1). The Spartans, defending national runners-up and ranked #2 in the NJCAA Division III Preseason Poll, are riding a six-game win streak this season, as well as a four-game win streak in the head-to-head series with the WolfPack. That stretch includes a pair of wins last season, including a two-point decision in the Region IV Tournament Semifinals. The lone Madison College win over Elgin came in the program's first-ever meeting in 2013. Game time is at 3:00 p.m. inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. The doubleheader is also Faculty Appreciation Day for the Madison College men's and women's teams.

The game will be streamed live at MadisonCollege.TV, as well as via the Madison College Athletics Facebook and YouTube pages.

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