As long as the bus ride home is from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, it figures to be an enjoyable ride home for the coaches and players on the Hillsdale College men's basketball team.
The Chargers put together some terrific basketball on both ends of the court down the stretch in a 71-65 win over Northern Michigan University in Marquette Saturday afternoon. The win snaps a five-game losing streak, and makes Hillsdale 5-7 overall and 1-5 in the GLIAC.
Hillsdale held NMU to just one made field goal over the last 4:45 of the contest. That stretch started when the teams sat tied at 59. Not only did Hillsdale bring the defense own the stretch, it was able to generate consistent offense, making the type of plays winning teams make when they matter most.
The Chargers outscored the Wildcats 12-5 in the game's final four minutes, and the brothers Lowry led the way.
Freshman guard Dylan Lowry gave Hillsdale the lead for good with a layup to make it 61-60 with 3:44 to go. Older brother Stedman Lowry followed with a layup on Hillsdale's next possession to make it a three-point lead. Dylan scored another basket two possessions later, and sank two free throws just before Stedman hit two from the charity stripe to finish off the win.
The Lowry brothers scored 10 of Hillsdale's last 12 points in the win. Stedman led the way with 17 while Dylan scored six of his 10 points in the game's last four minutes.
Senior Rhett Smith played a strong game in the paint with 15 points and six rebounds while sophomore Nick Czarnowski had 8 points and six boards off the bench.
Hillsdale held a 40-28 edge on the boards, and held an 11-4 advantage in offensive rebounds over the Wildcats. The Chargers also played a very repsonsible offensive game, turning the ball over just eight times in the game, and just twice in the first half.
UP NEXT: Hillsdale begins a home-heavy January schedule by hosting Northwood Thursday, Jan. 5.