MILWAUKEE, Wis. — The Milwaukee Area Technical College women's basketball team appeared poised for a statement victory Monday night before Des Moines Area Community College, a team receiving votes in the latest NJCAA Division II national poll, erased a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit and escaped with a 76-75 road victory in the Stormers' home opener.

The one-point loss dropped MATC to 3-2 on the season despite leading for nearly the entire contest against a Bears squad that entered the week on the national radar.

"We just have to capitalize and kind of know the time and situation," Stormers head coach Samantha Doucette said. "We should never be able to give up a double-digit lead late and allow them to climb back."

MATC set the tone early behind an aggressive defensive effort led by sophomore transfer point guard Serinity Metcalfe. After the teams were tied 11-11 midway through the opening quarter, the Stormers closed the period on a 9-2 run to take a 20-13 lead. MATC limited DMACC to just 3-of-16 shooting in the quarter, forced eight turnovers and turned those miscues into a 13-0 advantage in points off turnovers. Metcalfe fueled the fast start with multiple steals that led to easy transition baskets, which led her to score a team-best 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the quarter. Meanwhile, Sophomore reserve guard Laila Hamiel provided one of the night's highlight-reel moments, shaking her defender with a crossover move before knocking down a pull-up jumper as the Stormers seized momentum early on.

The Stormers continued to control play early in the second quarter, stretching their lead to 28-15 before the Bears answered with a decisive 17-5 run fueled by efficient interior scoring and offensive rebounding. DMACC's strong run helped trim the deficit to 33-32 before MATC regrouped late and carried a 37-34 lead into halftime.

MATC maintained its advantage throughout the third quarter despite committing multiple turnovers. The Stormers knocked down four 3-pointers in the period, including back-to-back triples from Hamiel that helped push the lead to 51-43 with just over three minutes remaining. Metcalfe then buried a buzzer-beating 3-pointer off an assist from Olivia Owusu to send MATC into the final quarter with a 57-50 lead.

Des Moines Area opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and never stopped applying pressure from the perimeter. Although MATC rebuilt its lead to 70-60 following a putback off an offensive rebound by Teshaya Anderson with 5:23 remaining, the Bears responded with a game-changing surge.

DMACC connected on five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter while the Stormers committed seven turnovers over the final 10 minutes. The Bears used a decisive 16-2 run to erase the deficit and eventually grabbed their first lead since the opening quarter when they buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:42 remaining. MATC's comeback attempt fell just short as Metcalfe drilled a triple at the buzzer to account for the final margin.

"That ending was all about just following the scouting report," Doucette said. "We told our girls that everyone on DMACC shoots it and shoots it well, and so the girls needed to find their matchups and be able to defend. Hopefully our lesson is learned."

Despite the heartbreaking result, MATC controlled multiple facets of the game. The Stormers dominated the paint with a 40-22 advantage in points inside and forced 19 turnovers while committing just 13 of their own. However, the Bears made the difference from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line, knocking down a dozen 3-pointers compared to MATC's eight while holding a 16-5 edge in free-throw scoring. DMACC also owned a 49-42 advantage on the glass.

As a collective, MATC shot 39.7 percent (31-for-78) from the field, narrowly edging DMACC's 39.3 percent (24-for-61) mark. 

Metcalfe delivered her best performance of the season, finishing with a  new season-high 27 points on 11-of-24 shooting, including three made 3-pointers. She also added four steals, three rebounds and an assist.

Anderson added 15 points and five assists while shooting an efficient 7-for-10 from the floor. Hamiel provided a spark off the bench with 12 points, four rebounds and three steals in 21 minutes. Freshman forward Amirah Taylor continued her strong start to the season with a team-high 13 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass, while adding three assists, two steals and two blocks. Sophomore forward Makyia Kenney-Bolden chipped in 11 rebounds, while Owusu and Elayna VanNett each scored six points.

"I thought in some stretches we defended well and in other stretches a lot of the girls were good teammates and passed well," Doucette said. 

While the result was disappointing, the Stormers continued to show they can compete with quality opposition.

UP NEXT
MATC (3-2) returns to the road Thursday for a 5 p.m. matchup against Elgin Community College.