MADISON, WISC. - A back-and-forth season opener for the Madison College men's basketball team went the way of visiting McHenry County College on Tuesday night inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium, as the Scots left town with an 83-78 decision. The WolfPack led by five at halftime in a game that featured 13 ties and seven lead changes. Sophomores Keith Hoffman and Nik Feller each posted 20 points, with Hoffman also tallying his first double-double of the season.  The Pack leads the all-time series by a 4-3 count, with five of those meetings coming in the opening game of a new season.

With a significant portion of the game's ties and lead changes happening over the first 15 minutes of action, Madison College broke a 28-28 tie with 4:30 left to play in the half by going on an 8-1 run. The surge led to the WolfPack scoring 13 of the final 21 points in the half, and take a 41-36 advantage into the locker room. 

McHenry County College (1-0) needed just three minutes to erase the deficit in the second half, however, the Pack answered with a 9-2 scoring run that built a 54-47 lead. The Scots fired back with 12 straight points to take the lead. Madison College kept the fight alive, using an impressive dunk by sophomore Tyler Haak and consecutive triples from Hoffman and Feller to erase an eight-point deficit. A free throw gave the Scots the lead for good, and they sealed the win with a key offensive rebound on a missed free throw with less than a minute to play and the WolfPack down a basket. The rebound led to a layup and an 81-77 advantage.



Hoffman, a Stevens Point, Wisconsin, native made 8 of 18 shots with a pair of three pointers and two free throws. The 6'8" forward/center secured 11 rebounds for his 11th career double-double. He also finished with four assists and two blocks to lead the team in both categories.

Feller matched Hoffman thanks to a trio of hits from beyond the arc and a 7 for 9 performance at the free throw line. The native of Poynette, Wisconsin, added eight rebounds and two assists.

Haak and Telin Porter both contributed ten points, with Haak making five field goals and Porter doing most of his damage with six free throws.

Madison College shot 46% (28-61) overall, and were 5 of 19 (26%) from three and 17 of 22 (77%) at the charity stripe. The WolfPack owned narrow leads in rebounds (33-30) and points in the paint (36-32).

Tuesday's game marked the first for new Madison College head coach Jason Roscoe.

Up Next:

Madison College (0-1) will host Minnesota North College-Mesabi Range (0-0) on Friday, November 4. The game will be the season opener for the Norse, as well as the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. at H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. The game will be streamed live at MadisonCollege.tv.

Madison College will have a short turnaround following Friday night, as they head to Region 4 foe Waubonsee Community College (0-0) for a Saturday, November 5 showdown. The WolfPack have won the past two meetings, while the Chiefs claim a 7-2 lead in the all-time series. Game time in Sugar Grove, Illinois, is at 3:00 p.m. and can be live streamed here.

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