A 17-point halftime deficit was too much for the Hillsdale College men's basketball team to overcome Saturday afternoon.
The Chargers saw their eight-game winning streak come to a stunning end in a 57-55 loss to Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. The Chargers are now 10-4 overall and 6-4 in the GLIAC and will look to get back on track at home Thursday night against Lake Erie College starting at 8 p.m.
Hillsdale had a first half it would like to forget as soon as possible. In one stretch, the team missed 16 consecutive shots, and faced a deficit that grew as big as 20 points at one point in the half. The Chargers missed 24 of the 30 shots they took in the first half and missed their first 14 3-point field goal attempts of the game.
Shots started falling in the second half, as the Charger offense discovered some of their signature rhythm. Sophomore guard Garrett Jones led the comeback, scoring nine quick points, including a jumper that gave the team a 45-43 lead. Hillsdale would play its way into the lead on a couple of occasions, but the Panthers stood tall, knowing down big shots from both the free throw line and long distance when they mattered most.
ODU shot 9-for-19 as a team from 3-point territory, outscoring Hillsdale from that part of the court 27-6. Hillsdale was just 2-for-16 on its 3-point shots, and finished the game with a season-low 37 percent mark from the floor.
Senior Tim Dezelski led Hillsdale with 19 points and 9 rebounds in the game, while Jones scored all 11 of his points in the second half.