Ending the season on a win is the goal of any college basketball team, though it isn't necessarily the big-picture result the Charger men's basketball team wanted.
Hillsdale pulled out a 65-61 win over Saginaw Valley State University Thursday night at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena, improving its record to 13-13 overall and 11-11 in the GLIAC. However, thanks to Northwood's overtime win over Lake Superior State, the Chargers will be on the outside of the conference tournament for the first time since 2007.
Junior guard Zach Miller calmly sank four straight free throws in the game's final 25 seconds to keep the Chargers in the positive. The game was tied seven times in the second half alone, and neither team built a lead bigger than 8. But the Chargers were able to contain the Cardinals, preventing any scoring runs of any length in that second half. Much of Hillsdale's 20:54 of lead time came in the second half.
Junior forward Kyle Cooper broke the final tie of the game with a baseline layup that resulted in a three-point play, putting the Chargers up 59-56 with 56 seconds to go. The Hillsdale defense forced a stop, and senior Michael Furlong pushed the lead to five with two perfect free throws. SVSU was playing from behind the rest of the way.
Cooper enjoyed a fantastic season, and closed out the campaign with a 20-point, 9-rebound performance. He battled foul trouble in the second half, but still went 9-for-14 from the field. His single-season totals of 534 points and 267 rebounds rank among the best in recent Hillsdale College history.
Hillsdale got some nice balance on offense in this game, with 10 different players scoring field goals. Center Jason Pretzer totaled 8 points on 4-for-6 shooting, while Nick Archer and Garrett Jones each contributed 6 points off the bench. Miller had 9 points and 7 assists.
Miller finished the season with 189 assists which ranks third in a single season in school history.
Before the game, the program honored its four graduating seniors on the occasion of their final home game. Furlong, Darius Ware, Cody Smith and Ian Sheldon were all introduced with their families to warm hugs and ovations from teammates, coaches and fans.
Photo by Sheridan Markatos