DOWAGIAC, Mich. — One day after a one-point loss at Lansing, No. 14 Milwaukee Area Technical College bounced back with a 96-82 road victory at Southwestern Michigan College on Saturday, closing the week 1-1 and improving to 8-3 overall.

"Saturday we started off slow again and then picked up our defensive intensity," MATC head coach Randy Casey said. "We have to grow as a team and be willing to ask to come off the floor when we are tired so that we are not a liability on defense. When we decide to truly embrace the next man up mentality we will be a much better team."

MATC built an early cushion with a strong first-half push and maintained control through balanced scoring and efficient ball movement. The Stormers outrebounded Southwestern Michigan 49-36, converting extra possessions into points, and finished with 21 assists to the home team's 16. MATC shot 37-of-80 from the field (46.3 percent), including 9-of-29 from three (31.0 percent), numbers that closely matched the team's season efficiency and helped secure a comfortable margin.

Second-year guard Noah Daniels and sophomore forward Ozzie Johnson led the Stormers with 14 points apiece, each going 6-for-11 from the field and adding five rebounds. Daniels also handed out five assists and recorded two steals.

Freshman guard Aidan Chapman paced the reserves with 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting, along with two rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Sophomore guard Jordan Jones finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, while second-year point guard Raydelh Boutin contributed 11 points, seven assists and three rebounds. Freshman Sterling Hoarde added nine points, two rebounds and two steals, freshman Jason Lawani chipped in eight points on 4-for-6 shooting, and sophomore Qi'Andre Washington scored seven in 16 minutes off the bench.

The Stormers won the turnover battle, committing 15 giveaways to Southwestern's 12, and converted their rebounding edge into multiple second-chance points opportunities that helped sustain leads throughout the second half. MATC's balanced attack and depth allowed the team to absorb runs and respond with timely scoring, a contrast to the previous night's struggles.

UP NEXT
No. 14 MATC (8-3) returns home to host Oakton at 7 p.m. Tuesday.