It was a night to forget for the Charger men's basketball team.
Hillsdale faced the GLIAC's toughest defense in the form of Grand Valley State University Thursday night, and the result was a 75-49 win for the Lakers over Hillsdale at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. The Chargers fell to 4-5 overall and 0-3 in the GLIAC with the loss.
The game got off to a promising start for the Chargers, with senior center Nick Archer banking in a jumper to open the scoring. Archer tallied the first eight points of the game for Hillsdale, two coming on 3-point shots, to get the crowd to its feet.
But the Lakers clamped down from there, playing outstanding team defense throughout the contest. Hillsdale struggled to get any kind of open shot, from any spot on the floor. It didn't matter if it was 3-point attempts off screens, drives to the lane or pull-up jumpers. The Lakers had hands in the Chargers' faces, bodies protecting the rim and disruption in the passing lanes on nearly every possession. GVSU built a 20-point lead by halftime and didn't let up one bit in the second half.
A Nick Czarnowski layup cut the Charger deficit to 14, 46-32, with 15:10 to go in the second half. But the Lakers responded with a 10-0 run over the next five minutes to close the game out.
Hillsdale shot 29 percent from the field and 28 percent on 3-point shots, which was emblematic of the kind of defense the Lakers played. On top of all that, the Lakers outrebounded the Chargers 49-30 in the game, limiting Hillsdale to just seven offensive rebounds.
The loss spoiled an excellent game from sophomore guard Nate Neveau, who finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists with no turnovers in 35 minutes on the court. Archer was the only other Hillsdale player to crack double figures in the loss with 10.
UP NEXT: Hillsdale hosts Ferris State at 3 p.m. Saturday.
PHOTO CREDIT: Carly Gouge