Two of the six best defensive teams in Division II met on the court in Sunday night's Atlantic Regional Semifinal at West Liberty University, and there was no doubt which got the better of the matchup.
The top-seeded Hillsdale College men's basketball team put the clamps to fourth-seeded Mercyhurst's offense, holding the previously unbeaten Lakers 36 points below their season average in a dominant, 67-48 victory to advance to the Atlantic Regional Final on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
It's the Chargers' second NCAA tournament victory in program history, and its first in 20 years -- the last coming on March 8, 2001 in a 60-58 win over Gannon in the Midwest Regional Quarterfinals that season.
Hillsdale's defense was the story of the night. Up against a potent penetration-based offense, Hillsdale used the size advantage it had with three 6-foot-8 starters to seal off the lane, contest every shot at the rim, and turn the Lakers into a jump-shooting team.
It worked, as Hillsdale held Mercyhurst to just 29.8% from the floor and 21% from 3-point range in arguably its best defensive performance of the season. The Lakers turned the ball over 14 teams and needed 16 made free throws just to get to 48.
"I'm really pleased with the way we defended," Hillsdale College head coach John Tharp said. "I thought that the size of (forwards) Austen (Yarian), Tavon (Brown) and Patrick (Cartier) kept (Mercyhurst) from finishing drives as well as they usually do at the rim, and we really rebounded the ball well defensively.
"For our defense to work, we have to be there for each other on every possession, and I thought we did a great job of getting in the gaps, being in the right spots and not giving them any easy looks."
At the other end of the floor, sophomore center and 2021 G-MAC Player of the Year Patrick Cartier made his presence felt on a national stage, carving up a Mercyhurst defense that came into the game with the second fewest points per game allowed at the Division II level (56.2). The Lakers had no answer for Cartier's size and skill down low, as he finished with a game-high 29 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the floor and 9 of 9 from the foul line in the victory.
"(Mercyhurst's) defense is one through five switching, so I was able to get smaller defenders on me and my teammates did a great job of recognizing those high-low opportunites and getting me the ball," Cartier said. "My teammates made great passes and put the ball where all I had to do was just lay it up and finish."
Cartier got great support offensively from his teammates. Senior point guard Connor Hill went the entire game without a turnover against one of the toughest defenses in the country, finishing with 12 points, three assists and two steals, and fellow senior Davis Larson knocked down two 3-pointers and chipped in 10 points, three rebounds and three assists as well.
Forwards Tavon Brown and Austen Yarian helped Hillsdale win the crucial battle on the boards, combining for 13 of Hillsdale's 31 rebounds in the contest, and also chipped in seven and four points, respectively.
The win means Hillsdale advances to the Sweet 16 for the first time since joining the NCAA in 1990. The Chargers will play three-seeded and host West Liberty on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for the Atlantic Regional crown and a berth in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
It will be a contrast of styles -- the defense-oriented Chargers (21-2), one of the most methodical teams in the country with a dominant post presence and conceding just 63.1 points per game, against the high-scoring Hilltoppers (17-4), who lead the country in scoring at 104.8 points per game with an up-tempo, pressing and guard-oriented attack.
Tickets for the matchup will be available at 9 a.m. tomorrow, Monday, March 15, and the link to order them can be found at https://hilltoppersports.com/news/2021/3/9/mens-basketball-ncaa-division-ii-atlantic-region-tournament-central.aspx. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, seating will be limited for the final, so it's recommended that fans who want to attend log on at 9 a.m. on the dot to ensure they can get their tickets.
Photo courtesy of Sam Santilli and West Liberty Athletics