When the 3-pointers are falling, the Madison College men’s basketball team can compete with just about anyone.

Despite going 2-2 in its most recent set of games, Madison College upset No. 3-ranked Rock Valley College, 81-65, on Jan. 24 thanks in large part to its long-range shooting.

Madison College sank 10 of 20 shots from behind the 3-point line to give the team a big boost against one of its conference rivals. Alex Easterday led the way, hitting 6 of 8 and scoring a game-high 28 points.

As a team this season, the WolfPack have been hitting 33.5 percent of their 3-point shots, converting on 147 of 439 attempts. Easterday leads the team this season, hitting 36 of 90 from 3-point range (40 percent).

Conference Update

Madison College is 3-5 in conference play and 13-8 overall. The team is currently fifth in the North Central Community College Conference, but has played well against some of the top teams.

On Jan. 27, Madison College came close to pulling another upset, but fell to conference leader Triton College, 69-62. Madison College was within 2 points with 34 seconds left, but couldn’t get the big stop it needed late in the game. Triton is undefeated in conference play at 8-0.

The WolfPack have plenty of opportunity to improve their conference standing, with six conference games remaining. A top half finish remains well within reach.

Standout Statistics

Tyree Young is the team’s scoring leader with 17.5 points a game, and has only been held below double-digits twice this season. Other team scoring leaders include Easterday at 12.8 points a game, Jezzriah Burton at 12.6 points a game, and Marcus Riser at 10.5 points a game.

Young also leads the team in two other statistical categories: assists with 95 and steals with 49. Riser leads the team in blocked shots with 19.