In a road contest with huge implications for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference title race, the 11th-ranked Hillsdale College men's basketball team had one of its best outings of the year on Saturday.
The Chargers shot 61 percent from the floor and went 12 of 25 from 3-point range to run away with an 89-68 road victory at Walsh.
Hillsdale led the entire contest, but had just a four-point advantage with 14:26 remaining in the second half as Walsh's own strong shooting helped keep them in the game.
That's when Hillsdale stepped up their game another level, reeling off a 25-8 run over the next eight minutes to take a 21-point lead and all but seal the game with 7:13 to play.
The Chargers finished with four players in double figures in the contest, led by an excellent performance from senior point guard Connor Hill.
Less than 48 hours after Hill set a new single-game high in points in a 75-69 win over Malone on Thursday, he surpassed that mark again, finishing with 23 points on 9 of 11 shooting from the floor and 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and chipping in three assists as well.
Hill's standout performance was complemented by another excellent game from sophomore center Patrick Cartier, who scored 22 points for his ninth game with 20 or more points this season, on 9 of 16 shooting from the floor.
Seniors Davis Larson and Austen Yarian each finished in double figures as well for the Chargers, with Larson contributing 12 points on an efficient 5 of 7 from the floor, and Yarian just missing a double-double with 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Sophomore Cole Nau added eight points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench for Hillsdale, and sophomore Kyle Goessler chipped in five points, three rebounds and two assists.
The Chargers were not only prolific but also efficient on Saturday offensively, committing just five turnovers in the victory to 16 assists.
The win over Walsh doesn't lock up the Great Midwest Athletic Conference regular season title, but, coupled with Malone's 89-83 win over Findlay, also on Saturday afternoon, it gives the 15-1 Chargers a three-game lead over the rest of the conference with four games to play.
The Chargers can secure a share of their second-straight regular season conference title, and just Hillsdale's fourth regular season title in the post-1950 era, with a win over Ohio Dominican on the road on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Photo by Anthony Lupi