The Hillsdale College men's basketball team played its best offensive basketball game of the season to date on Saturday, beating visiting Saginaw Valley State 93-62 to finish its nonconference schedule 7-0 and remain undefeated heading into G-MAC play.
Four players scored 16 or more points for the Chargers, who jumped out to a 11-0 lead six minutes into the contest and never trailed in the victory. Leading the way was senior Jack Gohlke, who followed up a red-hot performance last Sunday with another huge game, scoring 25 points on seven made 3-pointers and also chipping in six rebounds and three assists. It's Gohlke's second-straight game with 25 or more points and seven or more made 3-pointers in an impressive start for the guard from Pewaukee, Wisconsin.
Gohlke had plenty of help from his teammates. Fellow senior Kyle Goessler chipped in 17 points on an impressively efficient shooting performance, shooting 71% from the floor, 60% from 3-point range, and going a perfect 4 for 4 at the line with zero turnovers. Sophomore Joe Reuter also added 17 points, as well as five rebounds and three assists, in a strong all-around performance.
Center Peter Kalthoff also played a solid game down low for the Chargers, scoring 16 points on 5 for 8 shooting and leading the team with eight rebounds.
Hillsdale's fifth starter, senior point guard Cole Nau, added five points but played a critical role in the team's offensive success, dishing out a team-high five assists and helping keep the ball flowing to open shooters for the Chargers.
As a team, Hillsdale shot 49.2% from the floor and 42.4% from deep, with 14 made 3-pointers in the contest. The Chargers also took advantage of many trips to the line, shooting 21 of 27 (77.8%) on free throws to help pull away.
Defensively, Hillsdale also locked down Saginaw Valley State. The Chargers opened the game by holding SVSU scoreless for six minutes while building a double-digit lead, and held the Cardinals to just 35.8% shooting from the floor and 5 of 18 from 3-point range. After that 11-0 start, Hillsdale never let SVSU get closer than six points to the lead, and never led by less than double digits after the 11:14 mark in the first half.
The Chargers' 7-0 start is the third best in program history and the best since Hillsdale's school-record setting 13-game win streak to open the 2010-11 season. Hillsdale still has a long way to go to match that start, and will face its biggest test of the season to date in its next contest on Thursday, when the Chargers travel to Callan Arena to open conference play against a Cedarville team that's off to an impressive 5-1 start and is a perennial G-MAC title contender.
Photo by David Dermer