The Chargers got close a couple times, but could not get over the hump that took the form of the Michigan Tech University men's basketball team.
Junior Kyle Cooper drilled 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions late in the second half to close what had been a 10-point deficit to two, but Hillsdale could get no closer in a 72-62 loss to the Huskies in Houghton Thursday night. The Chargers are now 10-12 overall and 8-10 in the GLIAC, and will try to snap their losing streak Saturday at Northern Michigan University. That game tips off at 1:00 in Marquette.
Michigan Tech is typically one of the toughest teams to handle on its home court and proved that early on, building a 22-12 lead in the opening minutes of the first half. But the Chargers battled back and tightened the game to a four-point margin by halftime.
The Chargers came out swinging in the second half, going on a 7-0 run in the first 3:12 to take a 34-31 lead. But Michigan Tech's Phil Romback scored his team's next 10 points as part of 10-2 run that kept the home team in front for good.
The Huskies were led by Ben Stelzer's 27 points in a game that matched up the GLIAC's two top scorers. Cooper had a strong second half for Hillsdale and finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds in 36 minutes. The Huskies went 19-for-21 form the free throw line, outscoring the Chargers by eight points from there, providing an important difference in the game.
Junior guard Zach Miller had 13 points and 5 assists for Hillsdale.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech athletics