MADISON, WISC. - In need of a win after four straight setbacks, the Madison College women's basketball team went to work Saturday and earned a lopsided 86-25 win over Illinois Valley Community College in a Region 4 game inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium. Freshman Jaida Gaskins led four players in double-figures as the WolfPack put up its second-highest point total of the season and posted its largest margin of victory since an 84-18 drubbing of UW-Richland in December 2019. The Pack had not played the Eagles since the 2005-06 season, and now lead the all-time series by a 3-0 count.

Madison College led 11-8 midway through the opening quarter when forward Dani Latz hit back-to-back jumpers to ignite an 11-0 run to close the final five minutes. Gaskins added five points in that stretch as the Pack was up 22-8. The surge continued into the second quarter, with the WolfPack scoring another 11 points in a row, including five points from Hannah Solie, before Illinois Valley Community College (2-16) sank a free throw. After six more Madison College points, IVCC ended an almost ten minute drought without a field goal, during which the home team outscored them 28-1. The bucket only slowed the WolfPack surge as they added an 8-1 closing stretch of the half to lead 48-12 at the break.



The Eagles would post their best ten-minutes of offense in the third with ten points; however, another 8-0 push in the middle extended the differential to 48 before IVCC scored the final basket to make it 68-22. The fourth quarter belonged to the home team, outscoring Illinois Valley by an 18-3 margin that included ten consecutive points to start the quarter and seven straight to end.

Gaskins, a guard from Coon Rapids, Minnesota, recorded her second game of 20-plus points with a game-high 23 on 7 of 18 shooting with two 3-pointers. She also converted 7 of 9 free throws and led the team with career-best eight steals to become the 12th player in team history to reach that mark. Gaskins filled the rest of her stat line with a season-high-tying five assists, four rebounds, and a steal.



Solie, another first year guard, poured in 16 points as she sank 4 of 6 attempts from three-point range for her second game with four or more 3's in a game this month. The native of Chetek, Wisconsin, finished 6 for 11 overall, tied a career-high with a team-best seven assists, and also had three steals and two rebounds.

Latz returned to her usual double-double production against the Eagles, racking up 16 points and 15 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season. She made 7 of 18 shots and was 2 for 2 at the free throw line, to go along with her third five-steal game of the year, three blocks, and an assist.

Keelyn Zwirschitz added 15 points for her ninth game in double-figures, while also adding seven rebounds, six assists, and a career-high five steals.

Madison College dished out 23 assists for its second-highest single-game total of the season, aiding in the team's 32-82 (39%) effort from the floor and 7-24 (29%) shooting from distance. They also went 15-22 (68%) at the stripe. On the glass, the Pack owned a 54-35 advantage, which led to a 28-1 lead in second chance scoring. The home team was also ahead 44-8 in points in the paint.

Defensively, the WolfPack set new season-high's with 26 steals and ten blocked shots. They limited the Eagles to 19% (8-41) shooting overall and 12% (1-8) from outside the arc. The steals, combined with 37 IVCC turnovers, added up to a 42-4 differential in points off turnovers.

Up Next:

The five-game Madison College (7-10) homestand continues on Tuesday, January 28 with a Region 4 game against Harper College (1-19). They WolfPack currently lead the all-time series by a 20-3 margin. Tip off is at 5:30 p.m. inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium and can be live streamed at MadisonCollege.TV.

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