Rally falls short as men's basketball loses to Kalamazoo Valley, 102-95

After a slow first half, the Wolves comeback fell just short as the Joliet Junior College men's basketball team fell to Kalamazoo Valley Communtiy College, 102-95, on Saturday.

The Wolves (4-2) came out of the gate slow and found themselves in a hole early.

"First half, we really did start off slow," said Wolves coach Danny Turner. "Give them credit -- it was like everything was a full court split on every possession. From a physicality standpoint, they just punched us and we didn't punch back. We couldn't get to the foul line and they shot too many from the foul line. We lost the physical contest today.

At the half, the Wolves trailed the Cougars, 51-29. Turner shared his words to the team during the break.

"We have to pick up the energy level and getting back to that boxing match," he said. "We got to make sure we match their physicality."

The Wolves seemingly did that as they battled back and came within striking distance late, pulling to within 10 points more than once. Turner credited the rally to the decision to play a squad of freshman late in the game.

"We did that purposefully," Turner said. "We were looking for energy. Those guys did give it to us and they actually clawed back into the game to give us a reachable deficit. And after that, (Kalamazoo) had to get their starters back in and we had to get our starters."

Freshman Jeffery Fleming led the Wolves with 22 points, eight rebounds and a pair of assists. Three other Wolves reached double-digit scoring: Romello Ali (16), Miles Gillespie (14) and Levi Goad (12). 

After starting the season with four straight wins, the Wolves find themselves on a two-game slide. Another streak ended Saturday, as sophomore Devon Richardson failed to record a double-double in a game for the first time this season. He was held to a season-low eight points and six rebounds.

Turner said Richardson was frustrated with his performance.

"It's new for Devon to be double-teamed," he said. "We were talking about how it's more like 2.5 with two men on him and one shadowing. We just have to find the open guy in those situations to create scoring opportunities."

The Wolves get a week off as they prepare to participate in the Waubonsee Classic next weekend on Friday and Saturday.