The ninth-ranked Hillsdale College men's basketball team nearly completed their second epic comeback against visiting Malone in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena this season.
A little less than two months after rallying from a 17-point deficit to beat the Pioneers 80-70 on Jan. 10, Hillsdale battled back from a 13-point deficit in Friday's Great Midwest Athletic Conference semifinal matchup to trail just 65-64 with the ball and 2:17 to play.
But the Chargers couldn't get the go-ahead 3-pointer to fall, fourth-seeded Malone made a layup at the other end to go up 67-64, and the Pioneers made their free throws down the stretch to knock off the top seed in the G-MAC tournament and end Hillsdale's hopes of its first conference tournament title since 1995.
The Chargers started the game strong, opening with a 7-0 lead on two baskets by newly-minted G-MAC Player of the Year Patrick Cartier and a 3-pointer by Austen Yarian, and looked like they were threatening to blow the game open.
But Malone rallied and pulled ahead 15-14 on a 3-pointer by Bryce Butler with 13:30 to play in the half, and from there the Pioneers never trailed again as Hillsdale went cold from the outside and struggled with turnovers for the rest of the contest.
The Pioneers opened up a double-digit lead at halftime, 41-29, and while Hillsdale was able to give themselves a chance late, the Chargers never got in a rhythm offensively against a tough Malone defense, shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and finishing with an uncharacteristic 12 turnovers.
Malone's ability to get to the line paid dividends in a close game, as the Pioneers hit 12 of their 16 free throw attempts, while the Chargers made five on just seven foul shots.
The Pioneers also won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding the Chargers 38 to 29 and finishing with 11 offensive boards to Hillsdale's four.
Cartier had a strong game for Hillsdale, finishing with 24 points on 11 of 15 shooting and adding 10 rebounds and four assists for a double-double, but no other Charger finished in double figures in the contest.
Tavon Brown chipped in nine points, four blocks, three rebounds and two assists, and Davis Larson aded nine points as well.
Kyle Goessler had a solid game off the bench for Hillsdale, knocking down two 3-pointers and finishing with eight points.
With Hillsdale's loss on Friday, the top seed in the G-MAC tournament has failed to win the conference tournament title in all four seasons since the conference expanded from seven to 12 teams in the fall of 2017.
Hillsdale now awaits its NCAA tourney fate. With a 20-2 record, the Chargers have a strong case for inclusion in the six-team Atlantic Regional at West Liberty University in West Liberty, West Virginia next week, but Hillsdale won't know for sure until its name is called during the NCAA Division II selection show at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday night.
If the Chargers do make the tourney, it will be Hillsdale's first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2017-18, season, and the program's sixth since joining the NCAA in 1990.
Photo by Anthony Lupi