MILWAUKEE, Wis. — No. 13 Milwaukee Area Technical College men's basketball bounced back from a loss in emphatic fashion Monday, defeating No. 25 Waubonsee 104-91 at home in a battle of NJCAA Division II powerhouses. The Stormers broke open a halftime tie by outscoring the Chiefs 53-40 in the second half to secure the top-25 matchup and improve to 7-2 overall.

"We continued to fight, and when we had to pick up our defensive intensity, we finally did," MATC head coach Randy Casey said. "At halftime we talked about Waubonsee getting downhill too easily and how our rotations weren't there. For the most part we took away their ability to get downhill, and our rotations were much better in the second half. That was big down the stretch, and then being able to execute and get some runs off those defensive stops made the difference."

Both teams shot nearly identical percentages from the field, but MATC found its edge from the perimeter and at the free-throw line. The Stormers hit 39 percent from 3-point range compared to Waubonsee's 29 percent and converted 21 free throws to the Chiefs' 15. MATC also controlled the boards with a 50-45 rebounding advantage, finished with more assists and fewer turnovers, and turned Waubonsee's 19 miscues into 20 points. After allowing Waubonsee to shoot 51 percent in the first half, the Stormers tightened defensively and limited the Chiefs to 37 percent in the second, leaving them under 45 percent for the game.

"We kind of started off slow defensively in the first half, but once we picked it up we started getting steals, which allowed us to push the ball, and it was over after that," sophomore guard Noah Daniels said. "We closed it out and did a good job finishing the game."

Neither team separated by more than five points through the early stages of the second half, but the final 10 minutes turned into a series of runs. Tied at 71 with 9:37 remaining, MATC ripped off a 10-0 spurt highlighted by eight points from sophomore guard Noah Daniels, who went 2-for-2 from the field and 4-for-4 at the line. Waubonsee answered with a 7-0 run fueled by free throws, but the Stormers countered again with a 9-0 burst. That stretch featured four straight scoring possessions, as Ozzie Johnson knocked down back-to-back baskets before Sterling Hoarde followed with two of his own to push MATC ahead 90-78.

"It was all about runs down the stretch, back and forth," Casey said. "That's what happens in a quality basketball game between two top teams in the country. We know they can play and they can manufacture runs, so it's about controlling those stretches and making sure they don't turn into big runs."

MATC forced five turnovers in the final four minutes and outscored Waubonsee 14-11 down the stretch to hold off for the victory.

"You saw how close the game was up until the last couple of minutes," Daniels said. "It could go either way at that point, so every possession counts. First half, second half, it all leads down to the end of the game."

Daniels led the charge with a team-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range, while also adding six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.

"I credit our defense," Daniels said of his performance. "When we lock down defensively and keep pushing the ball, there's no team that can hold us. It really comes down to pushing the tempo, which is our program."

Johnson was dominant inside, finishing with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting along with six rebounds, one steal and one assist. Sophomore forward Jayden Hackett contributed 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Raydelh Boutin filled the stat sheet with 14 points, five assists, six rebounds and one steal, while Turon Rivers added 12 points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench. Qi'Andre Washington chipped in six points and a team-high four steals.

UP NEXT
No. 13 MATC (7-2) will take some time off before traveling to Lansing Community College at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 5.