MADISON, WISC. - Sophomore George Whaley IV stepped up when his team needed him the most, hitting a clutch game-winner with seconds left on the clock as Madison College topped the College of Lake County 68-67 to continue their best start to a season in program history. Whaley was one of two double-digit scorers for the WolfPack, who are 8-0 and ranked #21 in the latest NJCAA Division II Poll. The fifth consecutive win by the Pack against the Lancers narrows their deficit in the all-time series to 6-5.

Madison College trailed 55-47 following a College of Lake County (2-6) three-pointer. Two possessions later, freshman Carter Sullivan tipped in a putback as the WolfPack slowly began to make their comeback. Another Sullivan board and bucket with 3:45 to play made it 65-62, and a Ryen Jones jumper on the next possession brought the differential to one. The teams traded free throws, leaving the Lancers ahead 67-66 with 16 seconds remaining. Madison set up Whaley in an isolation situation on the right wing, and the guard from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, drove into the paint and knocked down a fadeaway for the lead. Lake County had a look at a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, but it came up empty.



The College of Lake County got off to a fast start, leading 7-0 in the first three minutes. The WolfPack answered with their own 7-0 run and maintained a slight advantage until a pair of Noah Compan free throws started a surge of 12 consecutive points for a game-high 31-17 lead. The Lancers, however, narrowed the gap to three before Whaley hit a precursor to his big shot with a buzzer-beating pull-up jumper inside the arc to end the half up 37-32.

The advantage reached seven points early in the second half until CLC engineered a 10-0 burst to take a three-point lead, which expanded to eight before the Pack recovered.

Whaley sank 8 for 14 shots with one 3-pointer and a free throw, while also stacking up five rebounds. He led the team three assists and three steals.

Sullivan, a Stoughton, Wisconsin, native, went for 13 points and a team-high six rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end. He also had two assists and one of the team's four blocked shots.

Jones matched Sullivan with six boards, while also scoring six points. Freshman Cam Jones paced the bench production with nine points.



The WolfPack were 26 for 66 (39%) from the field, 3 for 18 (16%) outside the arc, and 13 of 21 (62%) at the charity stripe. Defensively, they forced 21 CLC turnovers, leading to a 28-9 advantage in points off turnovers, while also posting a 40-22 lead in points in the paint.

Up Next:

Madison College (8-0) will return to action on December 4 with a home game against Clarke University JV. This will mark the first meeting between the two programs. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. inside H. Douglas Redsten Gymnasium and can be live streamed at MadisonCollege.tv.

Follow WolfPack men's basketball: Facebook | Twitter