A fast start from 3-point range helped propel the Hillsdale College men's basketball team to a 2-0 start in the 2020-21 season, but it also created a question.
What happens on a night when the 3-pointers aren't falling?
The Chargers provided an answer on Saturday, as Hillsdale overcame a nightmarish shooting night from deep to beat a strong Kentucky Wesleyan team 72-58 in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.
Hillsdale entered the game shooting 51.2% from 3-point range, but went 2 for 21 from behind the arc in the contest, including 0 for 13 in the first half.
The Chargers overcame that discouraging statistic in two ways. First, they clamped down defensively on the Panthers, holding Kentucky Wesleyan to just 40.4% from the floor and five made 3-pointers on the night.
Secondly, Hillsdale dominated in the paint, led by sophomore center Patrick Cartier. Just 48 hours after a 20-point performance in a win over Ohio Valley on the road, Cartier finished with his first double-double of the young season, scoring 23 points on 11 of 12 shooting from the floor and chipping in 11 rebounds.
Senior forward Austen Yarian chipped in 16 points and six rebounds and was especially effective at getting to the line, a key factor in Hillsdale's victory. The Chargers fouled out both starting Panthers center Sasha Sukhanov and top backup Ben Sisson by attacking the post, and Kentucky Wesleyan's starting power forward, DeJuan Lockett, was in foul trouble as well for most of the night.
With Hillsdale coming out cold from the floor in the first half, Kentucky Wesleyan had the lead at the break, 31-29, and were as close as 40-39 with 13:44 to play. But Hillsdale seized control in the second half with a 10-0 run sparked by a basket by senior Tavon Brown, who also drew a foul on the play. After that run, the Panthers never got closer than nine points to the Charger lead the rest of the way.
Brown chipped in nine points and four rebounds inside as well for the Chargers, and sophomore Kyle Goessler nine points off the bench, including one of Hillsdale's two made 3-pointers.
Senior Davis Larson hit the other 3-pointer for the Chargers and added seven points and two assists, while senior Connor Hill was a defensive pest all night for Hillsdale, finishing with four steals and six points.
Hillsdale (3-0, 3-0 G-MAC) hits the Christmas break in strong shape in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and will get right back into the action quickly with several contests in January. The biggest one might be the one that's up next -- a trip to Niekamp Arena on Jan. 2 for a contest with Hillsdale's arch-rival and the only other unbeaten G-MAC team that's gotten games in at this point -- the University of Findlay.
The two teams shared the regular season G-MAC title last year, and the winner of that game will get a significant early edge in the G-MAC standings, though there's a lot of basketball left to be played. Other contenders, including 2019-20 G-MAC tournament champion Walsh, have yet to take the court this season. The Cavaliers and others will surely have something to say about the title race as well. It's shaping up to be a fun race in the G-MAC already as the Chargers look to turn the page to 2021.
Photo: Patrick Cartier and Connor Hill. Photo by Gwen Buchhop.