PALATINE, Ill. – A late five-point surge to close the first half gave Madison College a 31-23 over Harper College at halftime. While a five-point run seemed small, it made a big difference as the WolfPack shot an impressive 66.7 percent (14-of-21) in the second half on the way to a 75-57 N4C win over the Hawks.

Harper (10-13, 1-6 N4C) climbed out an early 10-0 hole it dug itself in the game's first four minutes. Although the Hawks never led in the first half, they used a 9-0 run, punctuated by an Allias Burnett (Joliet, Ill. /Joliet West) layup, to trim the Madison (8-13, 2-5 N4C) lead to 19-18 with 5:29 left.

The real momentum shift for the WolfPack happened in the closing seconds when they led 26-23 with under a minute left. Ethan Lurquin's offensive rebound and layup gave the visitors a five-point edge. Following a Marcus Gatlin (Chicago, Ill./Curie) missed layup, Kristian Zimmerman found Markus Tobias, who converted a three-point play with two seconds left to push the lead to 31-23.

The Hawks got as close as three in the early stages of the second stanza, but Tobias continued to give Harper problems in the lane. He scored 13 of his team-high 20 points after halftime and ripped down 10 boards as well. His layup with 7:58 to play pushed the Madison lead to 59-44. Tyler Meier gave the WolfPack a boost as he buried all three of his 3-pointers in the second half.

For Harper, Gatlin scored 14 of his 23 points in the second half and grabbed eight rebounds in the game. Burnett posted a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Abdul Mushtaq (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) scored 12 points. The Hawks shot 35.4 percent (23-of-65) on the night and were outrebounded 36-30.  

Madison shot 51.9 percent (27-of-52) overall. Cortez McCree scored 13 points, and Lurquin added 11.

The Hawks face a tall task on Saturday evening as they face No. 1 Rock Valley College (21-2, 5-2 N4C). In their last meeting on Jan. 6, the Golden Eagles prevailed 97-78 over the Hawks in Palatine. Tipoff is set for 8 PM in the Physical Education Center on the campus of Rock Valley College. For a game preview, click here.