The Hillsdale College men's basketball team was anxious to get the sour taste of last weekend's loss out of its mouth. It did so impressively Thursday night.
One game after seeing an eight-game winning streak stunningly snapped at Ohio Dominican, the Chargers played with purpose and execution in a 66-48 win over Lake Erie College at home Thursday night. Hillsdale improved to 11-4 overall and 7-4 in the GLIAC with the victory.
Hillsdale plays the second of its current three-game homestand Saturday afternoon against longtime South Division rival Ashland University at 3 p.m.
On offense, the Chargers played strong, well-executed game that featured crisp passes, hard cuts and excellent vision from one teammate to another. Hillsdale generated 18 assists on 26 made field goals, and four players scored in double figures, giving the team some welcome balance on that end of the floor.
Defensively, Hillsdale frustrated Lake Erie into 33 percent shooting from the floor for the game. The Storm made just five shots from two-point territory in the second half. The Chargers also had more defensive rebounds (32) than the Storm had total rebounds (26), on their way to a huge 42-26 advantage on the boards.
Hillsdale got off to a terrific start in the game, jumping out to an 18-4 lead in the game's first seven minutes. LEC never got within 10 points of Hillsdale in the game's final 37 minutes.
The Chargers' chemistry among the starting five was evident throughout the game. The team's starters scored 63 of its 66 total points, led by 21 from senior forward Tim Dezelski. He turned in another terrific performance, going 8-for-113 from the field, 4-for-4 from the free throw line, and had 13 rebounds and 5 assists in 38 steady minutes of play.
Senior guard Brandon Pritzl has enjoyed a very consistent season on both ends of the floor, and was very efficient in the win. He made 5 of his 7 field goal attempts, and had 12 points and 4 assists.
Sophomore forward Kyle Cooper pitched in 11 points with 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, while senior Anthony Manno had 11 points in a starting role.