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Jeffrey Fleming, the Wolves overcame a large first half deficit on Tuesday to remain undefeated on the season with a 78-74 victory over visiting Morton College.
Down 27-9 with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half, the Joliet Junior College men's basketball team rallied to make it a two-point game at the half, 34-32. The Wolves came out of the break on fire, taking the lead and holding it until the final buzzer.
"We just got to come out more aggressive," Wolves coach Danny Turner said. "This is a replica of our previous game where we were down 15 at half. We tell them when they're cold that they've got to get to the free throw line so you can get your rhythm and your confidence."
The Wolves earned 36 trips to the foul line and scored on 29 of those tries. Fleming, who went 9 of 10 at the line, finished with 26 points to lead all scorers on the night, giving his team the boost needed to win.
"It feels great," he said after the game. "I wanted this win so bad because my dad played at Morton College, so I didn't hold back this game."
"Oh my gosh, is he a man!" Turner said of Fleming's performance. "He's been so consistent in our first four games. But it's not a surprise because he's that way in practice. He's really hard to guard, really hard to keep off the glass. We're just so happy that he decided to stay home and be a Wolf."
The Panthers double-teamed sophomore center
Devon Richardson early in the game, forcing the Wolves to adjust and rely on scoring from the high post.
"We wanted to try to attack their zone and go inside out," Turner said. "We tried to send a cutter to the corner because we thought that was the best angle to get the ball to Devon.
Late in the game, the Panthers cut their own deficit as they tried to rally and steal the victory, but the Wolves held on.
Richardson recorded another double-double on the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Denyell Rush finished with 13 points,
Levi Goad had 12 and
Miles Gillespie scored 11.
On 13 tries, the Wolves made just one bucket from beyond the arc as they shot 46% on the night.
The Wolves continue the home stand as they host Waubonsee Community College on Thursday at 7 p.m.
