Thursday night, the Charger men's basketball team buckled down on defense and got some well-balanced offense to earn its first home postseason game in seven years.
Hillsdale defeated Trevecca Nazarene 78-52 at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. The victory makes the Chargers 18-8 overall and 14-5 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
The victory also clinches a first-round G-MAC Tournament home game for the team, which is its first home postseason contest since March 3, 2012. The Chargers' seeding is still to be determined, as they stand tied for third with Cedarville at 14-5 in conference play heading into Saturday's regular season finale. Hillsdale would win a tiebreaker with Cedarville based on sweeping the season series.
In securing the home postseason game, the Chargers shot a nifty 56 percent from the field, going 28-for-50 while hitting 12 3-point baskets. The team's reserves stepped up in a big way, accounting for seven of those made 3-point shots.
Senior forward Gordon Behr played a strong game in 19 minutes off the bench with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, going 4-for-4 from the field. Senior Nate Neveau added 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench, making a pair of 3-pointers.
Junior guard Dylan Lowry was on target, making ewach of his first six shots en route to a team-high 15 points in the win. He made three 3-point field goals, and tacked on 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Sophomore forward Davis Larson scored 11 points, and senior center Nick Czarnowski added 9 and a team-high 7 rebounds.
PHOTO: MaryKate Drews