MADISON, WISC. - The results of a positive first half of play Wednesday quickly evaporated when the Madison College men's basketball team lost a double-digit lead and took an 80-79 loss to begin a four-game homestand at H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. The WolfPack built a 13-point halftime lead, thanks in part to the precision long-range shooting of freshman Marcus Kartes on his way to a career-high 20 points, however, the Chaparrals rallied in the second half and hung on to snap an eight-game 'Pack win streak in head-to-head matchups. Madison College, which had won back-to-back North Central Community College Conference games entering the contest, still owns a 15-11 edge in the all-time series

Trailing by two after four minutes of play, the WolfPack began to separate. Jason Williams, Earl Lewis, Kartes, and Amire Williams-Stribling all buried three-pointers as part of a 20-4 run over an eight minute stretch of the first half to put the home team on top 31-17. Madison College made the halftime differential 44-31 by tacking on four points in the final 16 seconds. The second half proved to be a different story with the College of DuPage (4-15, 2-3) opening with 15 consecutive points as the WolfPack did not score for nearly five minutes. After several ties and lead changes, the Chaparrals built their largest lead of the game at eight points with less than six minutes to play. Three-point makes by Kartes and Davion Washington trimmed the deficit to a single point before COD pushed it to a half-dozen in the final minute. Two more hits from beyond the arc by Williams and Williams-Stribling again got the 'Pack to within one, though the latter shot went through with less than a second to play and the College of DuPage was able to run out the remaining time.

Kartes continued his recent hot-shooting with a season-best 5 for 8 effort beyond the arc, and added five throws for his highest collegiate point total. The former Milwaukee Rufus King High School athlete has surpassed ten points in five straight games and nine total games this season. Kartes, a 6'3" shooting guard, also had six rebounds, three steals, and two assists all while matching his highest minutes played total in a game.



Shamar Newman did his damage in the paint with an 8 for 13 showing that included several challenging reverse layups in traffic. A double-digit scorer in seven of the last eight outings, Newman now leads the WolfPack with a field goal percentage of 52.1%. The guard/forward from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, also secured seven rebounds to tie for the team lead in that category, tallied a career-high four blocked shots, recorded three steals, and dished out two assists. 

Williams rounded out the double-figure scoring for Madison College with 13 points on 5 of 10 shooting overall and was a perfect 2 for 2 from distance. The 6'5" power forward also finished with seven rebounds, four assists, and a blocked shot to accompany his seventh straight game with at least ten points.

Madison College shot nearly 73% in the first half with seven of their 12 three-pointers, but connected on just 12 of 34 (35%) shots in the second half to finish at 50% for the game. The WolfPack reeled in six more rebounds than DuPage, yet the visitors were better in second chance scoring by an 18-5 margin. The 'Pack also committed a season-high 27 turnovers, which contributed to a 36-4 edge for the Chaparrals in points off turnovers. The College of DuPage did not make a single three-pointer in the game, and held a 50-30 advantage in interior points. The game featured seven ties and 11 lead changes.

Up Next:

Madison College (9-9, 2-3) continues their extended homestand with a matchup against defending N4C champion Triton College (15-4, 4-0). The Trojans are currently ranked #23 in the NJCAA Division I Poll, and own a 19-game win streak over the WolfPack that dates back to the 2009-10 season when Madison College joined the conference. The all-time series stands at 25-2 in favor of Triton College. Tip off on Saturday, January 18 inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium is at 3:00 p.m.

All home Madison College men's basketball games can be streamed live at MadisonCollege.tv.

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