Six different student-athletes scored double-digits Saturday as the Joliet Junior College men's basketball team won its season opener over Blackhawk Tech, 86-69.
The eighth-ranked Wolves (1-0) trailed at the half, 39-38, before taking control in the second half to bounce back.
"We started making smart plays and not turning the ball over," said sophomore
Miles Gillespie, who led the Wolves with 21 points. "Guarding without fouling I feel like is when we made a great switch in the second half."
Gillespie finished the game 7 of 10 with a near-identical mark from the foul line at 7 of 11. He recorded five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win.
Jeffrey Fleming scored 14 points, Denyell Rush finished with 13 and
Romello Ali had 12. Levi Gould scored 11 as did
Devon Richardson, who recorded a double-double with 13 total rebounds.
"Feeling fantastic after that one," said Wolves coach Danny Turner. "First game jitters, man. We were looking forward to our first game and its wonderful to come out victorious. Very, very talented team for a first-year program and we were able to prevail."
The Wolves shot 53-percent on the night with a 6 of 14 mark from beyond the arc. They earned 25 trips to the foul line, sinking 16 tries.
"There's so many things we need to improve on and we'll get back to the round table and evaluate this game before getting back to practice tomorrow," Turner said.
Next up, the Wolves travel to Kishwaukee College on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. tip off.
