What's more satisfying than an win on the road over your rival?
How about a win on the road over your rival that clinches a share of the regular season conference championship -- just the second in program history at the Division II level?
The Hillsdale College men's basketball team did just that on Saturday, gutting out a 59-54 win over rival Findlay at imposing Niekamp Arena that guaranteed a split of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular season crown with the Oilers.
It's Hillsdale's first regular season men's basketball conference title since a GLIAC crown in 2011-12, and just the second since the Chargers moved to NCAA Division II from the NAIA.
Niekamp has been a house of horrors for the Charger men's basketball team over the years, with just one win in the last 18 seasons entering Saturday, but the Chargers never trailed by more than four points and never fell behind in the second half.
It was coming out of the break that the Chargers found their offensive footing, opening the second half on a 10-2 run to stretch a 25-22 halftime lead to a 35-24 advantage.
Junior Austen Yarian scored the first five points of the half to spark that run, and Hillsdale seized control from there, leading by as many as 18 in the second half.
Feeling their shot at an outright title slipping away in their own building, the Oilers made a determined late run, cutting Hillsdale's lead to 55-52 with 53 seconds to play.
Findlay had a shot to tie the game late, but Tavon Brown blocked a potential game-tying 3-pointer out of bounds with 28 seconds to play, and Yarian secured a critical defensive rebound on the ensuing possesion to put Hillsdale in the driver's seat.
Connor Hill and Dylan Lowry were 4 for 4 from the line in the closing seconds to seal the victory for the Chargers.
The key to the victory was a masterful defensive effort by the Chargers, who held the Oilers to just 36 percent shooting from the floor, and 2 of 21 from 3-point range.
While the Chargers weren't much better offensively, Hillsdale got big performances from freshman Patrick Cartier, who shot 7 of 10 from the floor and finished with a 16 point, 11 rebound double-double, and Hill, who chipped in 16 points and three assists, to keep the Chargers in front throughout the contest.
Yarian added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Lowry chipped in nine points, six rebounds and three assists.
With the win, the Chargers finish the regular season with a 19-9 overall record, and a 15-3 mark in the GMAC, tied with Findlay for first place.
Thanks to a regular-season sweep of the Oilers, Hillsdale also secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming GMAC tournament, which includes an opportunity to host the semifinals and finals of the tournament if the Chargers can avoid being upset in the quarterfinal.
It's the first time since the 2011-12 season and just the second time in program history that the Chargers will be in line to host the conference tournament in men's basketball.
The Chargers will open GMAC tournament play at 7 p.m. Tuesday at home against eighth-seeded Kentucky Wesleyan, with a spot in the semifinals on the line.