LA CROSSE, WISC. - After a pair of close loses, the Madison College men's basketball team snapped their brief losing skid with a resounding 80-54 win over in-state rival Western Technical College. A fast start ignited the WolfPack, who buried ten 3-pointers for the second time this season and saw four players score in double figures. After 103 all-time meetings dating back to 1970, the Pack now boasts a 70-33 advantage.

Western Technical College (2-3) opened the game with a three-pointer, and Madison College answered with 12 consecutive points. Despite leading by as much as 13, the WolfPack saw the differential dip to 28-23 with less than three minutes to play before the Pack closed the half with an 11-0 surge to take a 39-23 edge. The run continued into the second half with baskets by Cortez Telfered and Keith Hoffman, and Madison College continued to put together small scoring stretches to grow their lead as high as 29 points with five minutes remaining. 

Freshman guard/forward Deante Luster made his second consecutive start, and amassed a career-high 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting with three hits from beyond the arc. The Columbia, South Carolina, native tallied 15 of his points in the second half, while also producing five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. He has now scored ten or more points in six consecutive games. 

While Luster stood out in the second half, Telfered did a majority of his work in the first 20 minutes, scoring 12 of his 17 points. The second year guard from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, also made three of his seven field goals from long range, and led the team with four assists. He added three boards and three steals.

Hoffman and Nik Feller, a pair of sophomores coming off all-conference and all-region seasons, finished with ten and 13 points, respectively. Feller hit two three-pointers and was a perfect 5 for 5 at the charity stripe, to go along with four rebounds. The performance marked his ninth consecutive with double-digit points, while Hoffman continued his own streak of games with ten or more points in every game this season. Hoffman also produced three rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and an assist.

Madison College set a season-high for free throw percentage in a game by converting 14 of 17 at the stripe. They also made 28 of 74 (37.8%) field goal attempts and 10 of 25 (40%) from outside the arc, tying their season-best for made three's in a game with a 10 for 24 effort at Waubonsee Community College. The WolfPack created a 30-24 lead in points in the paint and a 25-16 margin in points off turnovers thanks to 22 miscues from the Cavaliers.

Up Next:

Madison College (6-5) is back on the home floor on Saturday, December 3 to face Prairie State College (2-3) in a Region 4 matchup. The two programs met for the first time last season, a game that was won 74-66 by the Pioneers in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Game time is at 3:00 p.m. inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium and can be streamed live at MadisonCollege.tv.

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