MADISON, WISC. - A 15-2 closing stretch of the first half provided the difference in an in-state and Region 4 matchup that finished with Bryant & Stratton College topping Madison College by a 74-53 final on Tuesday night. The loss inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium snaps a short two-game win streak for the WolfPack, who still lead the all-time series with the 15th-ranked Bobcats by a 3-2 count. 

A back-and-forth start with lots of intensity and emotion saw Bryant & Stratton College (15-3) jump out to a 16-9 advantage nine minutes into the game before Keith Hoffman drained a three-pointer to cap a 7-0 surge to pull even at 16-16. The teams again exchanged leads and ties again over the next three-plus minutes leading up to an impressive Telin Porter layup with 4:00 to play that gave the WolfPack a 21-20 lead. That would be the last time Madison College was in front as BSC answered with an and-1 layup to ignite the a run of 12 consecutive points as part of the 15-2 stretch that gave the Bobcats a 35-23 edge at the break.



The differential remained in double-digits throughout the entire second half. An early free throw closed the gap to 11 before the Bobcats ran off nine straight points. However, a 7-0 push that included another Hoffman triple sandwiched between two Deante Luster baskets made it 44-31 with less than 15 minutes remaining. That would be the last time the WolfPack truly threatened the Bryant & Stratton College lead. In all, the game featured four ties and eight lead changes.

Hoffman, a sophomore forward/center, and Telin Porter, a second year guard/forward, were the top scorers for Madison College with ten points each. Hoffman made all three of his field goals from beyond the arc, going 3 for 11 overall and 3 for 5 from distance. He also hit 1 of 4 free throws, while also pacing the team with eight rebounds. 

Porter, a native of Houston, Texas, had ten points, seven rebounds, a team-high five steals, and two assists. He went 2 for 6 overall and made all six of his tries from the free throw line. 

Three other players, Luster, Nik Feller, and Peter Gustafson, all finished with nine points each. Gustafson and Luster each had six boards, with the former also dishing out a team-best three assists.

Overall, Madison College shot 17 of 48 (35%), made 5 of 19 (26%) from three-point range, and drained 14 of 20 (70%) free throws. 

Up Next:

Madison College (8-8) begins North Central Community College Conference play on Thursday, January 12 with a home game against the College of DuPage (8-8, 0-1). The WolfPack snapped a three-game skid against the Chaparrals with a split of their season series last year, and own a narrow 16-13 lead in head-to-head matchups. The Chaps opened N4C play with a 94-75 setback against Joliet Junior College on Tuesday night. Tip off inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium is at 5:30 p.m. and can be seen live at MadisonCollege.tv.

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