The Walsh University men's basketball team shot 59 percent from the field in Saturday's game against Hillsdale College, and amazingly, it was its two-point field goal percentage that dragged down that impressive 59 percent figure.
The Cavaliers remained in first place in the GLIAC South Division with an 82-58 win over the Chargers at the Alumni Arena in Canton, Ohio. Hillsdale falls to 13-5 overall and 9-5 in conference play with the loss.
Hillsdale is back in action Monday night against the University of Findlay in Ohio.
Walsh shot 65 percent from 3-point territory, going 15-for-23 from beyond the arc. In a game that featured a minisule 14 total free throws shot by the two teams, Walsh's 3-point proficiency was the deciding factor in this one.
After a 9-0 Hillsdale run tied the game at 18 midway through the first half, Walsh made a huge run that essentially decided the contest. The Cavs made 3-point shots on back-to-back possession to steal momentum away from the Chargers. Three minutes later, Walsh hit another set of back-to-back threes to extend the lead to double digits, 35-24, with 4:38 left in the first half. The game's margin would grow no closer after that.
Thirty of Walsh's 42 first-half points came on shots outside of the painted area, indicating its outside shooting accuracy in this game. After the Cavs sank another three just 15 seconds into the second half, the tone was set for the rest of the game.
The Chargers shot just 5-of-19 from 3-point land themselves (26 percent) and 42 percent from the field overall. Senior forward Tim Dezelski led the team with 21 points, with 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists. Sophomore Kyle Cooper tossed in 13 and was 6-for-9 shooting from the field. As a team, Hillsdale had 10 assists against 15 turnovers in the loss.