(Sugar Grove, IL) – In the previous meeting between Waubonsee Community College's men's basketball team and Prairie State College, the Chiefs edged the Pioneers just 83-79 in Chicago Heights on January 11. This time, on their home court, Waubonsee left no doubt regarding the outcome as they trounced Prairie State 105-60 on Tuesday evening in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The 16th ranked Chiefs (21-3, 7-1) remained on top of the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) standings by nailing 18 three-pointers in the lopsided win over the Pioneers (9-14, 3-5), making 10 in the first half and draining eight more in the second half.
Fernando Perez scored a pair of inside baskets to get the Chiefs going early as they took a 7-2 lead a minute into the game. After five minutes of play the score was deadlocked at 13-all. Dylan Fuzak then broke the tie with a long three-pointer and Donovan Brown hit a seven-foot, pull-up jumper as the Chiefs went on a quick 8-0 run and never trailed again. After the Pioneers answered with a three of their own, Brown knocked down triples on consecutive possessions to suddenly put Waubonsee in front by 11 points 27-16. Another trey, this time by Zachariah Hayslett and a blocked shot by Donovan Taylor got the home crowd fired up.
The pace continued to be fast and furious with the Chiefs holding a 14-point lead midway through the first half. Waubonsee kept a double-digit lead over the next four minutes of play, highlighted by a three-pointer from the top of the key by Perez. The Chiefs continued to fire away from beyond the arc as David Robinson connected on a long range shot to make it 46-28 with four minutes to go in the half. Moments later a spectacular blocked shot by the Chiefs' 5'9" point guard Duane Doss on an attempted fast break lay-up by the Pioneers' Juan Rodriguez electrified the crowd once more. A triple from the left corner by Hayslett in the final minute of the half staked Waubonsee to a 53-33 lead before Prairie State's Dion Alexander scored in the waning seconds to cut the deficit to 18 points at the break.
Waubonsee came out firing to start the second half going on a 10-2 run capped by three-pointers by Brown and Robinson, forcing Pioneers' head coach Mike Manderino to call a timeout. The halt in play did not disrupt the Chiefs' momentum as they extended the lead to 72-39 on a long Fuzak trey from out beyond the top of the key. A minute later Fuzak splashed another triple as Waubonsee's lead increased to 37 points. Hayslett then converted a pair of free throws as the Chiefs doubled up on the Pioneers 78-39 with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Waubonsee eventually got the lead over 40 points when Brown completed a three-point play to push the lead to 92-50 with six and half minutes to go. Chiefs' head coach Lance Robinson emptied his bench and Waubonsee eventually reached the century mark with two minutes left on a three-pointer by Nahcere Abdur-Rasheed to make it 100-60. Antwon Agee popped a 12-foot jumper in the lane and Dimetrius Butler made a free throw and scored seconds later on a tip-in to close out the scoring.
The Chiefs' bench outscored the Pioneers' reserves 38-6, while Waubonsee outrebounded Prairie State 54-35 for the game and tallied a team total of 30 assists. Brown paced the Chiefs with 22 points to go along with handing out three assists. Perez finished with a double-double, netting 19 points, hauling down 10 rebounds and handing out seven assists. Robinson chipped in with 13 points, eight boards and four assists. Hayslett booked 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and registered three assists. Taylor contributed 10 points and pulled down eight boards, and Doss was credited with seven assists. The Chiefs play their next two games on the road before returning home to Erickson Hall Gymnasium on Thursday, February 15 to host Oakton Community College. The ISCC match-up between the Chiefs and Owls is set to begin at 7:15 p.m. (CDT). The women's contest is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. (CDT) that evening.