CICERO, ILL. - In need of a rebound win following their first loss to a Region 4 opponent, the Madison College men's basketball team turned to their sophomore captain. JP Pleasant delivered in a big way, pouring in a career-best 33 points to lead the WolfPack, ranked #16 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, to an 84-74 road win over Morton College. The win is the first for the Pack all-time against the Panthers, who had won the previous three get-togethers.

Morton College (9-9) jumped out to a 7-2 lead before six straight points by Pleasant gave the WolfPack its first lead of the game. Leading 13-10 after a Cullen Rauls three-pointer, Madison College watched their slim lead disappear with an 11-0 run by the Panthers. Another three-pointer from Carson McCormick with less than two minutes to play in the half brought the visitors within a point, as did a Pleasant jump shot with 53 seconds left on the clock. A pair of Panthers free throws made it 35-32 at the half. 

The home team again opened the half strong with five straight points and eventually led 46-37 following a three-pointer with 16:13 remaining. Madison College engineered a 10-0 surge, which included six points from George Whaley IV, to go ahead by one. They took a 49-48 advantage one basket later when Pleasant scored inside to ignite an eight-point charge. Two Ryen Jones free throws with 7:30 on the clock gave the WolfPack its first double-digit lead. The differential peaked at 16 before Madison College left town with a ten-point win.



Pleasant, a 6'5" forward from Beaumont, Texas, becomes the sixth player in program history to make at least 13 field goals in a single game as he finished 13 for 23 from the floor with one 3-pointer. He added a 6 for 8 effort at the free throw line en route to his third performance with 20 or more points this season. Pleasant also added six rebounds.

Whaley notched his second career double-double with 17 points and ten rebounds as the 6'1" guard matched his season-high on the glass. The Williamsport, Pennsylvania, native also led the team with a game-high six assists. Whaley shot 7 for 15 overall and 3 for 4 at the stripe.

McCormick and Rauls rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 and ten points, respectively. The former sank all three of his buckets from beyond the arc and added a trio of free throws. Rauls made most of his hay at the charity stripe with a 7 for 8 effort, to go along with one three-pointer. He also added four assists and three steals.

The WolfPack were 25 of 59 (42%) from the field, 5 of 16 (31%) from three-point range, and an impressive 29 for 33  (88%) from the free throw line. It's the most made free throws for the WolfPack in a single game since a 40 for 53 performance against Malcolm X College during the 2019-20 season.

Up Next:

Madison College (13-3) remains on the road for a Region 4 battle on Tuesday, January 21 at the College of DuPage (15-5). The all-time series with the Chaparrals is close, with the WolfPack owning an 18-16 edge. Tip off in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, is set for 7:00 p.m. and can be live streamed here.

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