Rally falls short as men's basketball loses to IVCC, 69-65

The Wolves were unable to complete the rally Thursday as Joliet Junior College fell to Illinois Valley Community College, 69-65, at the JJC Event Center.

Within the final minutes, the Wolves (2-5) overcame a huge deficit to make it a one possession game, but JJC fell just short.

"What a game!" head coach Danny Turner said. "We had a chance, we were still in it. We wanted to try some different things tonight and our kids didn't give up."

JJC trailed from start to end, sometimes by double-digits, but kept battling. Leading the way was sophomore Jeffrey Felming with 20 points, 13 rebounds and a steal. 

"I should've post up earlier," said Fleming. "We should have ran more of our piston plays and big man plays where me and Vic (Yatou) go down low. And maybe if I didn't cramp up!"

Sophomore Victor Yatou finished with 13 points but hauled in just four rebounds. Kareem Parker scored 10 points in the game.

Overall, the Wolves shot 48 percent from the field, going 27-of-56 with a poor showing behind the arc at just 2-of-11. 

"We went on somewhat of an emotional roller coaster because of our youth throughout the game," Turner said. "But we're coming together as a team and I think we'll be fine when it really matters." 

The loss marks the Wolves' fifth straight after starting the year with back-to-back victories. JJC gets two weeks off and won't return to action until a trip to Moraine Valley Community College on Thursday, Dec. 4.