After winning 16 straight games to open the season, the Madison College women’s basketball team got what their coach called a dose of “perspective” in a 66-55 loss to rival Rock Valley College on Jan. 13.

“I think it was time for a loss. I think it puts perspective on things,” said coach Jessica Pelzel, adding that it gave the team a chance to regroup and come back together and realize everything is not perfect.

The team has had its way against most opponents throughout the season. Prior to the loss to Rock Valley, the team had only one game that was closer than 10-points.

That success had earned the team the No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA Division III national polls. But Rock Valley, ranked No. 5 in the nation, proved to be a formidable opponent.

The two teams played a back-and-forth game until the end of the third quarter, when Rock Valley took a seven-point lead and continued to build on it over the final 10 minutes.

It was a tough shooting night for the WolfPack. Madison College hit just 19 of 65 shots in the game or just 29 percent, perhaps its lowest of the season.

Jenna Endres led the team with 14 points, but missed all six of her 3-point shots. Rachel Slaney added 10 points and seven rebounds.

Pelzel is optimistic that her team will respond well to the loss at Rock Valley.

“This is a really great group of girls,” Pelzel said, adding that the players have come together and work really hard together as a team. “On the court they are very close, they have each other’s backs.”

The next home game is against Milwaukee Area Technical College at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 in Redsten Gymnasium.

Madison College 63, UW-Marathon County 36

A dominant effort against UW-Marathon County on Jan. 11 gave Madison College a 63-36 victory and earned coach Jessica Pelzel her 200th career win. Rachel Slaney led the team with 14 points and eight rebounds. Jenna Endres added 12 points for her 25th-straight double-digit scoring game.

Madison College 78, College of DuPage 37

Madison College opened conference play with a 78-36 victory over College of DuPage on Jan. 9. Endres scored a game-high 21 points, while Slaney added 15 points and 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season.

Madison College 65, Benedictine University JV 60

A tough shooting night kept the game close, but Madison College managed a 65-60 victory over Benedictine University JV on Jan. 6. The WolfPack hit just 32.8 percent of its shots, but came through by hitting 23 of 27 free throws. Slaney led the team with 20 points, while Endres added 19.