Kentucky Wesleyan's Sasha Sukhanov tipped in a missed jump shot with 0.4 seconds left to lift the Panthers to a stunning 67-66 win over Hillsdale College Saturday afternoon in Owensboro.
The loss drops the Chargers to 14-8 on the season and 10-3 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
This game was tightly played throughout, with neither team able to sustain a long stretch of productive offense. Neither team took a big lead, neither team could create momentum at any point in the game. The Chargers did lead 38-31 thanks to a late bundle of points, capped off by a 3-pointer by Dylan Lowry.
The offense went cold for Hillsdale in the second half, with the team shooting 28.6 percent from the floor (8-for-28) in the game's final 20 minutes. KWC hit five of its 10 3-point attempts in the second half and overcame a three-point deficit in the game's final 34 seconds.
The buzzer-beating put-back ruined what had been a dramatic comeback by Hillsdale late in the second half. The Panthers led 62-55 with 4:33 to go. But the shorthanded Chargers showed guts on the road, going on an 8-0 run to take a 63-62 lead with 51 seconds to go. Junior Connor Hill made four free throws and assisted on a jump shot by Patrick Cartier to help key the run.
Hill finished with a career-high 16 points, making all seven of his free throws. He also set a career-high with 6 steals in the ballgame.
Cartier had 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, going 6-of-11 from the floor. Austen Yarian and Lowry each scored 12 points for Hillsdale.
PHOTO: MaryKate Drews