Joliet outshoots Harper

Heartache is something the Harper College men's basketball team has felt frequently recently.

It was present again at the Sports and Wellness Center on Saturday as the Hawks fell to Joliet Junior College 66-55 in North Central Community College Conference play.

Joliet (18-10, 4-8) made it especially tough on Harper defensively, holding the Hawks to 30.4 percent shooting from the field. The Wolves played a zone, and Harper had trouble solving it.

"We couldn't make shots," said first-year Harper coach Dr. Justin Welke. "It's hard to win in the game of basketball when you can't make a jump shot."

Harper freshman guard Marcus Gatlin had some success, scoring a team-high 17 points. Welke likes the way the youngster is going about his game.

"He's quietly doing his thing," said Welke. "He's going to be our captain next year. To see him blossom is fantastic - he's coming into his own."

After a low-scoring first five-plus minutes, Joliet looked to its size advantage for scoring as 6-foot-7 Kyle Behler (9 points), 6-5 Darious Randolph (15 points) and Daymeann Stewart (team-high 17 points) scored key baskets in an 8-0 Wolves run, helping Joliet to a 17-6 lead.

"We thought we could use our size advantage," said Joliet coach Joe Kuhn.

The Wolves also had an advantage in rebounding, where they amassed a 49-35 edge. Joliet cashed in on 17 second-chance points.

Admir Suljic (15 points) and Davion Benton (11) scored in double figures for Harper (9-19, 2-10) but shot a combined 9-for-31.