Successful basketball teams have to be able to win in different ways throughout the course of a season.
So far in 2022-23, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team has proven it has that capacity.
Just two days after a huge offensive outing in a win over Northwood, the Chargers dictated play from the defensive end in a 67-52 win over visiting Ohio Dominican, stifling the Panthers' offense from start to finish for another comfortable home victory on Saturday.
Hillsdale made life difficult for Ohio Dominican's offense, holding the Panthers to just a 35.6% shooting performance from the floor and a 3 for 13 mark from 3-point range. That bought time for Hillsdale to find its own offense, overcoming an off-night of the Chargers' own from deep to pull away on the scoreboard.
Leading just 19-16 with 8:32 to go in the first half, the Chargers seized control with an 18-8 run over the rest of the period behind tough finishes at the rim from Cole Nau and Joe Reuter. Hillsdale led by as many as 19 early in the second half, and while the Chargers went through offensive dry spells at times in the final 20 minutes, the Panthers never cracked Hillsdale's defense, proving unable to get the game back to single digits at any point the rest of the way.
The Chargers shot just 43.4% from the floor and were 5 of 16 from 3-point range, but got the job done in the paint with 32 points inside the arc, while also turning ODU's 12 turnovers into 16 points at the other end.
Strong balance was the key for the Chargers offensively, with four starters and nearly five in double figures, led by Jack Gohlke, who knocked down three of Hillsdale's five made 3-pointers and finished with 15 points and two assists in the victory.
Fresh off a career-high game on Thursday, center Peter Kalthoff chipped in 14 points and five rebounds as well for Hillsdale, while Reuter just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, and Kyle Goessler added 10 points, three rebounds and two assists as well.
Senior point guard Cole Nau also made a meaningful contribution to the victory, finishing with eight points, five rebounds and three steals for the Chargers as well.
With the win, Hillsdale improves to 16-1 overall, 9-1 in the G-MAC, and remains a perfect 9-0 at home this season. The victory, coupled with Walsh's 74-45 win over Ashland, means the Chargers now have a full game lead over both the Cavaliers and Eagles in the G-MAC standings, with three more teams two games back.
Hillsdale next hits the road for a long trip south next week, starting with a dangerous game against a talented Kentucky Wesleyan team on Thursday night. With several games between the teams who sit just behind Hillsdale in the standings over the next two weeks, the Chargers will be keen on taking advantage of those showdowns by winning and continuing to build its own lead in the conference standings.
Photo by Charles Miller