(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College's men's basketball team extended its winning streak to 18 games with a 108-76 win over visiting Harper College. The Hawks (4-16), boasting a roster that consisted of 11 international players from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, could not keep pace with the Chiefs' three-point barrage. Waubonsee, which entered the game 10th nationally among all NJCAA Division II teams with 171 three-point baskets, nailed 18 more shots from long range. Waubonsee is also second nationally with 18 wins on the season, trailing only Pima (AZ) Community College's 19 wins. The 13th ranked Chiefs (18-1) moved within three of the program record of 21 consecutive wins set by the 1990-91 team that finished 29-8 overall and placed seventh in the country that year at the National Tournament.
Tim Taiwo scored on Waubonsee's first possession with a turn around one-hander in the lane. Three-point baskets by Zachariah Hayslett, Aboubacar Sidibe and Pat Robinson then quickly staked the Chiefs to an 11-2 lead just three minutes into the game. After a two-handed dunk by Harper's 6'9" Sean Spencer, Robinson and Sidibe drilled triples to make it 20-7 after just five minutes of play as Waubonsee made six of its first seven shots from beyond the arc. A steal and lay-in by Malik Petty and another trey, this time by Christian Meeks, helped put the Chiefs in control 31-13 as the midway point of the half approached. Waubonsee continued to fire away from long range, avoiding Harper's half a dozen front-line players that all ranged in height from 6'10" to 6'7". Three more three-point baskets extended the lead to 41-18 with seven minutes to go in the half. On the strength of 10 three-point baskets, Waubonsee still led by 20 points as the first half wound down. Coach Lance Robinson utilized his bench throughout as 12 different Chiefs got playing time in the half. A basket at the buzzer by Serbian native Aleksander Ognjanovic got Harper within 49-32 at the break.
The second half started in a similar fashion to the first as Taiwo knocked down a 10-foot jumper in the lane on the first possession. A triple by Taiwo then extended the Chiefs' lead to 63-36 five minutes into the second half. Waubonsee continued to gradually extend its lead which reached 30 points at 77-47 with 11 minutes remaining. The Hawks' Connor Pritchard, who hails from Christchurch, New Zealand, helped keep Waubonsee from increasing its lead beyond that with several inside baskets on the way to booking 17 points. But it was far too little and too late as Petty completed a three-point play to make it 96-63 with five minutes to go. The Chiefs broke the century mark when JJ Strojinc connected on a long three-pointer with three minutes left in the game. To the delight of his teammates, Dimetrius Butler then drilled a trey from in front of Waubonsee's bench with a minute to go ensuring that every Chief dented the scoring column.
Seven Waubonsee players reached double figures led by Meeks with 16 points. Sidibe added 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Hayslett also booked 15 points. Robinson registered a dozen points and handed out five assists, and Taiwo chipped in with 11 points, six boards and five assists. Tylon Toliver also netted 11 points and recorded three steals, with Petty contributing 10 points. The Chiefs committed just five turnovers in the contest while Harper was guilty of 20 miscues. In addition, Waubonsee compiled 25 assists as a team on 36 made baskets.
Waubonsee is in action again this coming Tuesday, January 21 when they travel to Crystal Lake to take on McHenry County College starting at 7:15 p.m. (CDT). The women's contest is slated to start at 5:15 p.m. that evening. The Chiefs return home to Erickson Hall next Thursday, January 23 as they host Moraine Valley Community College in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference match-up. Coach Lance Robinson's Chiefs tip off against the Cyclones at 7:15 p.m. with the women's contest prior to that at 5:15 p.m.