MADISON, WISC. - The Madison College men's basketball team missed a string of free throws and lost a second lead en route to taking a 69-66 loss against Prairie State College on Saturday inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. Sophomore Keith Hoffman matched his season-high with 26 points to pace three WolfPack players in double-figures. The Pioneers are now 2-0 all-time against the Pack after winning an eight-point game last season.

Madison College tallied the game's first six points on their way to an 18-6 advantage nearly eight minutes into the game. Sophomore Cortez Telfered knocked down back-to-back three-pointers and scored eight points in the opening stretch, followed by six from Hoffman and four by Deante Luster. A Peter Gustafson layup with just over six minutes to play in the half pushed the lead to 13 before Prairie State College (3-3) closed the half on a 16-6 run to leave the WolfPack ahead 33-30 at the break.



After a back-and-forth start to the second half, the Pack turned around a 39-37 deficit with 11 consecutive points and led by nine. The advantage slowly dissolved until the Pioneers pulled even at 56-56 with 6:27 remaining. A PSC layup a minute later gave the visitors the lead for good. The WolfPack cut the differential to two with a minute to go, and still trailed by three after a Hoffman triple with 18 seconds to play. Following a missed free throw by Prairie State College, the Pack turned to sophomore Nik Feller to try and tie the game, however, his three-point attempt came up short.

Hoffman's fifth game with 20 or more points was the result of an efficient 9 for 12 effort from the field with two three-pointers and a 6 for 10 performance at the free throw line. The native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, also had four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block.

Feller, a guard/forward from Poynette, Wisconsin, scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half with four baskets, including one from long range. He was also a perfect 4 for 4 at the stripe, to go along with a team-high six rebounds.

Telfered posted 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting with two hits from beyond the arc. The former Holy Redeemer HS athlete dished out four assists, and amassed three rebounds, two steals, and a block. 

Luster accumulated a team-leading five assists, while also posting eight points and three boards.

Madison College shot 52% (25-48) overall with five 3-pointers, but converted just 11 of 20 free throws that included a stretch of five missed free throws that coincided with PSC taking the lead down the stretch. The Pioneers out-rebounded the WolfPack by a 34-24 margin, which they turned into a 16-3 edge in second chance points. Prairie State College also owned advantages in points off turnovers (22-15) and points in the paint (44-32). 

Up Next:

Madison College (6-6) will make its second trip of the season to Dubuque, Iowa, on Thursday, December 8 to take on NCAA Division III Loras College JV. The WolfPack, who won a road double-overtime game against the University of Dubuque JV back on November 9, is 3-0 all-time against the Duhawks. Tip off is at 8:00 p.m.

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