The Charger men's basketball team was firing on all cylinders, particularly in the second half of its third win in a row.
Hillsdale defeated Malone University 73-57 Thursday night at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena, The victory, coming in the Chargers' GMAC home opener, makes the team 6-3 overall and 3-0 in conference play.
Playing one of its best two-way games of the season, Hillsdale combined dead-eye shooting from the field in the second half (60 percent) with responsible man-to-man defense to pull away from the Pioneers. The Chargers were up by just four at halftime, 29-25, but outscored Malone 44-32 in the second half.
It was a true team effort on defense, as the Chargers did a great job of switching on ball screens and stopped many penetration attempts by Malone, forcing the team to reset its offense and force up difficult shots late in the shot clock. Hillsdale picked up seven steals - from seven different players - among 11 Malone turnovers. The Chargers enjoyed a 16-8 scoring edge in points off turnovers in the win.
On the other end of the floor, sophomore forward Davis Larson was terrific, scoring a career-high 22 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field. Larson was incredibly efficient, reading the defense well and getting to the basket in a variety of ways. He also swished seven of his eight free throw attempts, putting a bow on a nicely wrapped game.
Larson was one of three Chargers to crack double figures in scoring. Junior guard Dylan Lowry had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Lowry was aggressive in looking for his offense and made his first couple shots from the floor, helping to set a good offensive tone for the team.
Senior guard Harrison Niego had 12 points, going 3-for-6 from 3-point land. Senior center Nick Czarnowski, who has been slowed by injury for much of the season, looked spry and quick, coming off the bench to get 8 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
For the game, Hillsdale shot 51 percent from the field and turned the ball over just five times.
PHOTO: Todd Lancaster