A huge edge at the free throw line was the key difference in the GLIAC men's basketball showdown between Hillsdale College and Northwood University Thursday night.
The Timberwolves outscored the host Chargers 29-7 from the foul line en route to a 90-81 win at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. The loss drops Hillsdale to 10-10 overall and 8-8 in the GLIAC, while the Timberwolves improved to 8-8 in conference play.
Hillsdale is back home for its final Saturday home game of the season, taking on Lake Superior State.
The Chargers got off to a flying start in this game, playing with great energy while knocking down shots in the opening moments of the contest, taking a 10-0 lead before Northwood scratched the scorebook. But the athletic Timberwolves soon answered, making the game close throughout the rest of the first half.
Starting with a Garrett Jones 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, Hillsdale went on a 13-2 run that restored its 10-point lead, 48-48, with 17:24 to go in the second half. However, Northwood found another gear from there, and took it to the Chargers, flipping that 10-point deficit into a lead that grew to as large as 12 points late in the game. The key part of the second half saw Northwood blitz Hillsdale with a 19-4 run that took just 4:31 to build up. By the time seven minutes were left on the clock, the Timberwolves were in full control.
Point guard Maurice Jones, a transfer from the University of Southern California, engineered the drive with some backcourt steals that led to transition baskets for the visitors. His quickness and ability to finish made him a tough cover all night long, as he led all players with 25 points in the game. He also handed out 8 assists and didn't commit a turnover in 37 minutes on the floor.
Opposing point guard Zach Miller had a fine game of his own, handing out 15 assists, the second-most in a game in his career, to go along with 6 points and 3 rebounds. Miller committed just one turnover in 32 minutes in a game that saw superior play from the point guard position.
Junior Kyle Cooper led the Chargers with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, while redshirt-freshman Stedman Lowry added 17 points, going 5-for-8 from 3-point territory.
The Chargers outrebounded the Timberwolves 31-29, made four more field goal attempts overall and made five more 3-point baskets in the game. But Northwood's ability to draw fouls, and make its shots (29-for-37) was too much for Hillsdale to overcome.