The Hillsdale College men's basketball team worked hard to build a second-half lead, only to see it wither away late in a 74-69 loss to Lake Superior State University Saturday afternoon in Sault Ste. Marie.
The loss, Hillsdale's third in a row, drops the team to 8-6 overall and 6-4 in the GLIAC. The Chargers return home next week, hosting Michigan Tech Thursday and Northern Michigan Saturday.
LSSU, one of the conference's toughest teams in the past couple seasons, controlled the game early on, and led 33-29 at halftime. But Hillsdale showed improved energy and defense, going on a 26-10 run to open the second half, leading by as many as 11 points.
Junior Kyle Cooper led the way for the Chargers with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting 8-for-13 from the field. Zach Miller and Jason Pretzer each added 10.
Turnovers were a big story in this game. The Lakers committed 13 fewer turnovers compared to the Chargers, and as a result, outscored Hillsdale 19-6 in points off turnovers. That helped cancel out the Chargers' 33-21 edge in total rebounds.
Hillsdale did a lot right in this game. The Chargers shot a high percentage from the field (56 percent), made 12 of their 13 free throws and had 17 assists on 24 made field goals. But the Lakers were able to score more points more easily in a shorter amount of time, thanks to their ability to force turnovers.