The Hillsdale College men's basketball team started strong on the road at rival Findlay on Saturday, building a 13-point lead with 11 minutes to play, but couldn't hold off a furious late rally by the Oilers in a tough 73-69 defeat.
The Chargers hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and scored 39 points to take an eight-point advantage into the break, and kept their foot on the gas to start the second period, tacking on 18 more points in nine minutes. Mikey McCollum's three-pointer with 11:09 to play gave Hillsdale a 57-44 lead, but the Chargers couldn't hold on as Findlay caught fire down the stretch while Hillsdale's shots stopped falling. The Oilers outscored Hillsdale 29-12 in the final 11 minutes of the game, finally overtaking the Chargers at 70-69 with 46 seconds to play and making free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Free throws were the story of the game as a massive disparity played a big role in Findlay's comeback. The Oilers shot 15 free throws to Hillsdale's five in the second half and took advantage with 13 makes, with 11 of those makes coming in the 11 minute span where Findlay overtook the Chargers. The Oilers also won the battle on the boards, 32-25, though Hillsdale had the edge in turnovers, committing nine to Findlay's 12.
Senior Charles Woodhams led Hillsdale with 17 points and three rebounds on an efficient 6 of 11 shooting from the floor, while sophomore Ashton Janowski chipped in 14 points and four assists as well. McCollum continued his strong play off the bench for Hillsdale, knocking down four 3-pointers to finish with 12 points, while junior Joe Reuter, who became the 41st player in Hillsdale College history to surpass 1,000 points for his career on Saturday, added seven points and six rebounds as well.
Hillsdale is now 17-9 overall, 12-7 in G-MAC play and faces a critical rematch with the Oilers at home on Thursday to close out the regular season. Getting revenge on the Oilers would likely give Hillsdale a top four seed and home quarterfinal game in the upcoming G-MAC Tournament, but a second loss to Findlay would force Hillsdale to go on the road for the first round of the conference tournament and potentially jeopardize their chances of qualifying altogether in a tight race for the final spots, making that home finale a must-win for the Chargers.
Photo by Meredith Wipper, Findlay Athletics