MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Powered by a balanced scoring attack that saw seven players finish in double figures, the Milwaukee Area Technical College men's basketball team cruised to a 115-82 home victory over College of Lake County on Wednesday evening to improve to 6-1 and extend its winning streak to six games.

The 6-1 start is a sharp contrast to last season, when the Stormers opened 1-6 before finishing 16-18.

"I think last year we had some key injuries at the beginning that didn't help us," MATC head coach Randy Casey said. "This year we've been healthy, and that has definitely made the difference in our 6-1 start. When your point guards — Qi'Andre Washington and Raydelh Boutin — are healthy, and those guys are the ones leading your team, that definitely helps explain our hot start."

Sophomore point guard Qi'Andre Washington led the way, setting a career high with a game-best 23 points, including 17 in the first half that helped the Stormers take a commanding 65-48 halftime lead.

Opening in a full-court press, MATC raced out to a 17-6 lead after hitting 7 of its first 10 field-goal attempts in the opening two and a half minutes. From there, the Stormers pushed the pace, creating easy looks under the basket and stretching the lead to 24 points midway through the half after a 10-1 run highlighted by eight points from Washington.

"I was able to get going early thanks to the help of my teammates," Washington said. "They push me to go hard. We kind of started off slow, so I knew if I came out with energy right away then we'd be ready to go."

Leading by 17 points at halftime, MATC never let up, building its advantage to as many as 38 before sealing the 33-point win to remain undefeated (2-0) at home.

In a physical contest that featured 44 personal fouls, the Stormers capitalized at the free-throw line. MATC hit 16 of 17 (94.1 percent) in the first half before finishing 25 of 30 (83.3 percent) overall. Lake County went 8 of 11 (72.7 percent).

Defensively, the Stormers were sharp throughout. MATC totaled 60 defensive stops, holding Lake County to 33.7 percent shooting and forcing 23 turnovers. The Lancers shot just 24.4 percent (11 of 45) in the second half, allowing MATC to break the game open even further.

"Coach Casey always stresses defense, so if we aren't playing strong defense then he's going to have a lot to say about it," Washington said. "We knew we needed to control them defensively."

STATBOOK
Washington paced the Stormers with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting, adding five rebounds, four steals, two blocks and an assist. Freshman reserve guard Turon Rivers provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal in 18 minutes on 9-of-16 shooting. Freshman Sterling Hoarde contributed 16 points, four rebounds and four steals, while sophomore guard Jayden Hackett added 14 points, four rebounds and two steals. Second-year guard Noah Daniels hit three of five 3-point attempts, totaling 13 points with four assists and two steals. Sophomore Ozzie Johnson and freshman Jason Lawani chipped in 10 points apiece.

UP NEXT
No. 8 MATC (6-1) will travel to Morton College for a 3 p.m. matchup Saturday to close out the week.