DUBUQUE, IOWA - A free throw in the final moments of Thursday night's road game against NCAA Division III Loras College JV gave the host Duhawks a 78-77 win over the Madison College men's basketball team. The WolfPack, who have dropped four of the last five games, had tied the game with a three-pointer by Cortez Telfered before suffering their first loss in four all-time meetings with the Duhawks.

A slow start put Madison College in a 24-5 deficit in the game's first 11 minutes after the Duhawks scored the game's first eight points. The WolfPack slowly chipped away at the differential and outscored the hosts 18-9 to close within 33-23 at the break.

After Loras College rebuilt a 16-point advantage, seven straight points by the Pack made it a ten-point game again just five minutes into the second half. The surge and defensive pressure continued for Madison College, which narrowed the gap to five points on a few occasions. Trailing 73-65 with three minutes to go, the WolfPack put together a 7-0 burst to get within one. A minute later and down 77-74, Telfered drained a long range bomb to tie the game at 77-77. A WolfPack foul with 11 seconds to play put the Duhawks on the free throw line, where they made one of two to take the lead. Telfered missed a potential game-winning layup in the final seconds.

Second year forward/center Keith Hoffman made 8 of 15 field goals and was 2 for 4 from beyond the arc for a team-high 18 points. He added a team-best seven rebounds and the team's lone blocked shot. 

Sophomore Nik Feller and freshman Deante Luster both contributed 16 points, with Feller making three 3-pointers as part of a 4 for 6 effort overall and five free throws. Luster, a former Sun Prairie HS athlete, hit 7 of his 13 shot attempts with one make from distance and a free throw. Feller, a Poynette, Wisconsin, native, secured five boards, and Luster dished out a team-best five assists.

Telfered finished the game with nine points, three rebounds, three assists, an assist, and a steal. 

Madison College owned a 16-8 lead in points off turnovers and a 9-4 edge in second chance scoring. The WolfPack shot 53% (27-51) from the field and posted their second-best three-point shooting percentage of the season at 43.8% (7-16). They also made 16 of 19 (84%) free throws.

Up Next:

Madison College (6-7) wraps up the home slate of the 2022 portion of their schedule on Saturday, December 10 with a contest against Kishwaukee College (2-6) inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. The Kougars boast a 16-8 advantage in the all-time series, however, the WolfPack have come out on top in each of the last six meetings. Game time is at 3:00 p.m. and can be streamed live at MadisonCollege.tv.

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