It's no secret that the foundation of the 15th-ranked Hillsdale College men's basketball team's offense is in the paint.
Sophomore center Patrick Cartier and senior forward Austen Yarian are the Chargers' top two scorers on the season, combining to average over 30 points per game between the two of them.
On Thursday night, Hillsdale showed how devastating their two star posts can be when they're both on fire in a 77-63 win over visiting Lake Erie.
Cartier dominated the first half, opening the game with a transition dunk, getting to the foul line and using his entire toolkit of post moves to flummox the Storm defense. The sophomore had 17 points and eight rebounds by halftime, helping the Chargers take a 43-22 lead into the break.
In the second half, with Cartier facing consistent double-teams, Yarian picked up the slack with 14 points after the break, including a thunderous alley-oop from point guard Connor Hill and two 3-pointers as the defense collapsed inside on Cartier.
Coupled with a strong defensive effort, the pair helped Hillsdale maintain the early double-digit edge they'd built throughout the game. Cartier finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double in 11 games this season, while Yarian chipped in 19 points and eight rebounds.
A third Charger big man, sophomore Tavon Brown, also made his mark on the contest, just missing a double-double of his own with eight points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Senior Davis Larson chipped in nine points and six rebounds, and Kyle Goessler added seven points off the bench.
Hill finished with two points but was effective as a distributor, leading the team with five assists on the night.
Once again, great passing helped set the Chargers up for success offensively on the night, as Hillsdale finished with 19 assists on their 29 field goals in the victory.
Hillsdale improves to 10-1 overall, and 10-1 in G-MAC play, with another important contest this Saturday at 3 p.m. in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena against Ohio Dominican. The Panthers have historically been a tough out for the Chargers in their four season run in the G-MAC, and a victory is critical as Hillsdale looks to stay tied atop the league standings with Findlay and Walsh as a tough stretch looms in the coming weeks.
Photo by Camryn Olson
