It took a little extra for the #15/16 Hillsdale College men's basketball team to get a road win on Thursday night.
A talented and determined Kentucky Wesleyan team hit a late 3-pointer to force overtime, but the Chargers dominated the extra period to get out of Owensboro with a 72-64 victory in both teams' G-MAC opener.
Hillsdale outscored the Panthers 15-7 in the extra period, overcoming an early KWC 3-pointer in overtime with seven straight points to take a decisive 65-60 advantage.
The Panthers fouled to try and extend the game further, but junior guard Kyle Goessler was 4 for 4 at the line in the extra period to help seal the victory.
It capped a career night for Goessler, who exceeded his previous single game best in both made 3-pointers (six) and in total points (22) while also dishing out five assists. For a moment, it also looked like Goessler had won the game in regulation, as he drained his sixth triple with under 30 seconds to play to give Hillsdale a 57-54 lead. But KWC senior Wyatt Battaile hit an off-balance 3-pointer with under five seconds remaining to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Down the stretch and in the extra period, junior center Patrick Cartier took over for the Chargers. Cartier entered the game leading the G-MAC in scoring with 25 points per game, but had a frustrating first 30 minutes, totalling just seven points and picking up three fouls. But with the game in the balance late, Cartier found his typical dominant form, scoring 15 points in the final 10 minutes and overtime to finish with 22, along with five rebounds and two assists.
Cartier was aggressive at the rim and it paid off in the closing minutes, as the Charger big man fouled out both KWC's starting center, JoMel Boyd, as well as backup center Sasha Sukhanov to give Hillsdale a decided edge in the paint late in the overtime period.
Senior Austen Yarian chipped in eight points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, nearly a triple double, to help the Chargers pull out a low-scoring, tight defensive contest. For the second half and most of overtime, until free throws allowed the Chargers to pull away late, neither team had a lead larger than four points.
Junior Tavon Brown chipped in seven points and 10 rebounds as well for the Chargers, and Cole Nau added five points and four rebounds.
Hillsdale (5-1, 1-0 G-MAC) continues its long road trip on Saturday with a game against Trevecca Nazarene (3-3, 0-1 G-MAC) at 5 p.m. ET. The Trojans were blown out by Findlay on Thursday night but have a talented squad with several impact transfers and will be another good test for the Chargers.
Photo by Anthony Lupi '22