MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Milwaukee Area Technical College women's basketball survived a fourth‑quarter scare Thursday night, edging No. 10–ranked Joliet Junior College of NJCAA Division III 76–72 in its Black History Month Recognition Game to close out its regular‑season home slate. The Stormers improved to 13–11 overall and finished 8–4 at Reiman Gymnasium, with six road games remaining to close the season.
MATC controlled much of the night before nearly giving it away late. The Stormers led by as many as 21 and carried a 60–44 advantage into the fourth quarter, but 11 turnovers — many unforced — allowed Joliet to storm back with a 28–16 surge. After a JJC offensive‑rebound putback cut the margin to 73–71 with 29 seconds left, the Wolves intentionally fouled SaNyai Mitchell, who split a pair at the line. Joliet answered by going 1‑for‑2 on its next trip, then grabbed the offensive rebound but missed multiple scoring opportunities on the possession before calling timeout with 17 seconds remaining.
Out of the break, JJC tried to post up Destynia McGruder, but her shot rimmed off and MATC's Laiale Hamiel secured the rebound. She was fouled immediately and calmly knocked down both free throws with six seconds left to seal the win.
"Before stepping up to the line, all I was thinking was to come through for my teammates and my coaches and not for myself," Hamiel said of her approach to the game‑clinching free throws.
Head coach
Arom Murrell praised Joliet's fight while acknowledging his team's late‑game struggles.
"First and foremost, credit to JJC because they fought and they got back into it," Murrell said. "They capitalized on our turnovers, which were horrendous in the fourth quarter. Part of that is a lack of poise, and out of those 11 turnovers I would guess eight of them were unforced. It was a bend‑but‑don't‑break situation, and we finished the job by getting the win. That's what's most important."
The Stormers opened the game on an 8–2 run behind a pair of early threes from Mitchell before Joliet closed the quarter on an 8–2 push of its own, leaving MATC ahead 18–17 after one. The second quarter belonged to MATC, which held JJC to 2‑for‑15 shooting and forced five turnovers while outscoring the Wolves 24–10. Hamiel scored seven in the period, and the Stormers carried a 42–27 halftime lead behind a 30–12 rebounding margin and a 4‑for‑5 mark from deep — well above their season average of 3.1 made threes per game.
"I just thought we were efficient and found good looks," Murrell said of his team's 3‑point shooting. "They were open looks — nothing forced. We don't normally take a lot of threes, but the fact that we knocked down the ones we had tonight, obviously that could have made the difference in the game. That was huge."
Both teams shot 35 percent in the third, but Summers' seven‑point frame helped MATC maintain a double‑digit cushion throughout the quarter before the tense fourth‑quarter finish.
Emani Summers powered the Stormers with her sixth career double‑double, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds on 6‑for‑11 shooting to go with three blocks and two assists. Hamiel added 14 points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block on 3‑for‑6 shooting and 6‑for‑8 at the line.
Moriah Landry chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal, while
Lacee Rodriguez added eight points and five boards.
Rachel Schlies and Maniyah Wooldridge scored seven apiece.
MATC finished the night shooting 43.9 percent from the field (25‑of‑57) and 5‑of‑8 from beyond the arc, while going 21‑of‑31 at the line. The Stormers also held decisive advantages in made free throws (21–14) and rebounding (56–34), offsetting their 31 turnovers. Defensively, MATC's activity at the rim and in passing lanes stood out, totaling eight blocks and eight steals.
UP NEXT
MATC (13–11) will travel to Prairie State on Saturday for a 1 p.m. road matchup.
