(Sugar Grove, IL) – After their six-game winning streak was snapped earlier in the week, Waubonsee Community College men's basketball team officially started another one. The Chiefs (19-7) downed visiting Wright College from Chicago 76-58 for their second straight win. Waubonsee held a comfortable lead throughout most of the second half to knock off the Rams (11-17). Its the Chiefs' eighth win in their last nine games.
Neither team scored in the first two minutes of the game until Waubonsee's Colton Schutt got fouled on a drive to the basket. The sophomore nailed a pair of free throws to get the scoring started. The Rams finally broke the shutout four minutes into the game when Tim Odeyungbo hit a 17-foot jumper. Brice Langford completed a three-point play a minute later as Waubonsee built a 13-3 lead. Joey Niesman then scored on a drive to the basket just before the shot clock expired to give Waubonsee a 17-5 advantage after eight minutes of play.
The Chiefs' pressure defense continued to stymie Wright's offense, limiting the Rams to just eight points through 11 minutes of play. Waubonsee led by as many as 12 points on three different occasions before Schutt scored on a fast break lay-up, and then drilled a three-pointer from the right wing in transition to make it 35-18 with five and a half minutes left in the first half. A trey from the left corner by Jaylyn Kelley then extended the Chiefs' lead to 39-20 with three minutes to go. Waubonsee got the spread to 20 points before heading to the locker room with a 42-26 lead.
The second half began in a similar fashion to the first half as both teams struggled to score. After four minutes of action the Rams outscored the Chiefs just 4-2. Three-pointers by David Robinson and Kelley pushed the lead back up to 20 points at 50-30 six minutes into the second period. After a timeout Schutt nailed a trey from the right corner to make it a 21-point Chiefs' lead. Wright cut the deficit down to 14 with seven minutes remaining prompting Waubonsee head coach Lance Robinson to call a timeout. It was as close as the Rams would get.
Following the halt in play, Niesman buried a shot from beyond the arc off a feed from Schutt. A moment later Kelley also hit a three to suddenly get the lead back up to 19 points at 69-50 with five minutes to go. A pair of free throws by Langford made it a 20-point game once again with two and a half minutes remaining. A whirling, spinning drive and lay-in by Robinson in the final minute capped off the Chiefs' win.
Niesman paced Waubonsee with 17 points, five assists and seven rebounds. Robinson finished with 16 points, while Schutt tallied 15 points, grabbed six boards and handed out six assists. Langford booked a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Kelley chipped in with nine points and three assists. Odeyungbo led the Rams with 17 points to go along with snagging 13 rebounds.
Waubonsee will host Prairie State College this coming Tuesday, February 14 at 7:15 p.m. in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) match-up. The Chiefs are set to play in Cicero on Thursday, February 16 against Morton College in another ISCC contest beginning at 7:15 p.m.