In the first game of a critical road trip to close out the season, and with a G-MAC title in the balance, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team put forth a championship-worthy performance on Thursday night.
The Chargers demolished a strong Malone team on the road, pulling away for a 90-64 victory that puts Hillsdale one win away from clinching a share of the G-MAC regular season crown.
Hillsdale broke open a back-and-forth contest early against the Pioneers, going on a 13-4 run with 14 minutes to play in the first half that turned an 8-8 game into a nine-point Hillsdale advantage. From there, the Chargers never let Malone closer to the lead than seven points in the contest, scoring 41 first half points to take an 11 point halftime lead, then outscoring Malone 49-34 in the second half to secure a comfortable road victory.
Efficient shooting and contributions up and down the lineup were key to Hillsdale's offensive effort in the victory. The Chargers shot 51.6% from the floor and made 11 3-pointers while shooting 44% from deep in the victory, while also going 15 of 17 from the free throw line.
Peter Kalthoff led the way with another strong performance inside, finishing with a 20 point, 10 rebound double-double, his seventh of the season. Senior Kyle Goessler just missed a double-double of his own with 18 points and a career-high eight assists, while Joe Reuter (14 points and six rebounds), Jack Gohlke (13 points) and Eric Radisevic (10 points) all finished in double figures as well for the Chargers. Senior point guard Cole Nau added five points and also chipped in eight assists of his own as the Chargers assisted on 23 of their 32 made baskets in the victory.
Defensively, Hillsdale also showed up in a big way, holding the G-MAC's second-leading scoring offense 14 points below their season average, and to just 44.3% shooting from the floor and a 6 for 25 performance from 3-point range.
Hillsdale improves to 22-3 with the victory, and 15-3 in the G-MAC, maintaining a one game lead over Walsh and Ashland heading into a critical showdown with the Eagles on the road on Saturday at 3 p.m. With a victory over Ashland on Saturday, Hillsdale would clinch a share of the G-MAC title and the top overall seed in the upcoming G-MAC Tournament, but a win by the Eagles would give Ashland a season sweep of the Chargers and pole position to take the top seed in the G-MAC Tourney, with Hillsdale needing a win over Findlay in the season finale to salvage a share of the crown.
Photo by Summer Fields