The final score of Thursday night's G-MAC men's basketball game between Hillsdale College and Trevecca Nazarene might read a 13-point margin, but ask any of the players and coaches on the Charger sidelines, and they would assure you this game was much closer than the score indicated.
After building an 18-point halftime lead on the road, Hillsdale was tested in the second half by the Trojans, who cut 14 points off that lead at one time. But in the end, the Chargers came up with the combination of points on offense and stops on defense that added up to a much-needed win.
Hillsdale toppled Trevecca Nazarene 72-59 in Nashville, improving to 14-7 overall and 10-2 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
The Trojans got off to a good start, taking a 10-7 lead on the Chargers early in the game, hitting an assortment of shots from the perimeter. Hillsdale answered impressively with a 16-0 run that saw the team pull away with a 22-10 lead in the space of just a few minutes. That lead grew to 18, 42-24, by halftime and the Chargers were cruising.
But Hillsdale's offense cooled off in the first part of the second half as the Trojans slowly chipped away at their deficit. The margin was cut in half, 49-40, around the midway mark of the half, and Trevecca only got more dangerous from there.
Trevecca pulled to within 63-57 with 65 seconds to go, only a two possession game. But freshman Cole Nau came up with one of the key buckets of his young career on a layup off a feed from junior Connor Hill to make it an 8-point lead with 1:01 to go. From there it was a march to the free throw line for the Chargers, where they made six of their last seven attempts to ice the game.
Four of those free throws were made by senior guard Dylan Lowry, who was fantastic in this game. He tied his single-game career-high in scoring with 26 points, going 9-for-17 from the floor while draining all six of his free throw attempts. He made some key baskets during a stretch in the second half when the Trojans were building mometum and cutting into the Charger lead.
Lowry had previously scored 26 in a game at Lewis back on December 17.
Hill also stepped up in the second half on both ends of the floor and finished with 10 points, 4 assists and 3 steals in 32 tough minutes. Freshman Patrick Cartier added 11 points and 6 rebounds for Hillsdale, who remains in a first-place tie in the G-MAC.
PHOTO: MaryKate Drews