ROCHESTER, MINN. - The Madison College men's basketball held a narrow halftime lead after a defensive-minded first 20 minutes, but an offensively-geared second half turned the tables in favor of Rochester Community & Technical College in a 73-67 decision on Tuesday night. The Yellowjackets, ranked #6 in the latest NJCAA Division III Poll, tallied 49 points after halftime to overcome the WolfPack, who had four players scored in double-digits. The all-time series favors RCTC by a 19-13 count after three consecutive head-to-head wins.

After a back-and-forth opening six minutes, Madison College broke a 9-9 tie with six consecutive points punctuated by a Cortez Telfered steal and layup. The two teams combined for just 12 points over the final 7:30 minutes of, which ended with a 30-24 halftime lead for the WolfPack.

The offenses began clicking in the second half as Madison College maintained a slim lead through five minutes of play. Rochester Community & Technical College (4-1) took a 38-37 lead with a layup as part of a 9-0 run. Back-to-back three-pointers stretched the differential to 11 points almost nine minutes in, and another long range hit at the 8:50 mark gave the home team a 63-51 advantage.

The WolfPack continued to battle and used a seven consecutive points by Deante Luster to close the gap to four points at 69-65 as the clock moved inside of three minutes to play. A 4 for 6 effort at the free throw line by the Yellowjackets down the stretch closed out the win as Madison College went 1 for 3 with three turnovers.

Sophomore Nik Feller led Madison College with 19 points, marking his eighth consecutive outing with ten or more points. The Poynette, Wisconsin, native made 7 of 11 shots with two 3-pointers, giving him eight games with multiple three-pointers through ten contests this season. Feller also reeled in seven rebounds.

Freshman Deante Luster made his first career start and rewarded the WolfPack with his first career double-double of 15 points and a career-best ten rebounds, to go along with a team-leading four assists, two steals, and a block for the Columbia, South Carolina, native.

Telfered, a sophomore from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, tallied 14 points, a career-high six steals, and four assists. Fellow second year Keith Hoffman added ten points, seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and a steal.

Rochester CTC produced a 38-26 edge in points in the paint. and took advantage of 20 Madison College turnovers to grab a 22-17 advantage in points off turnovers.

Up Next:

Following the Thanksgiving break, Madison College (5-5) returns to the road for an in-state showdown with Western Technical College (2-2) on Wednesday, November 30. The all-time series, which dates back to December 10, 1970, is led by the WolfPack by a 69-33 margin after seven consecutive wins. The game tips at 7:30 p.m. in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

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