The #15/16 Hillsdale College men's basketball team came out looking like a different team after halftime of Saturday's game at Trevecca Nazarene -- and it showed on the cort.
The Chargers outscored the host Trojans 42-19 after the break, turning what had been a competitive contest knotted at 31-29 at the break into a runaway 73-48 Hillsdale victory.
Hillsdale led just 40-38 with 14:40 to play, but reeled off a 24-0 run that lasted over 10 minutes on the clock and gave the Chargers a 64-38 advantage when all was said and done.
3-point shooting played a big role in the run and in the victory, as Hillsdale knocked down 15 3-pointers and shot 40.5 percent from beyond the arc.
But the real key for the Chargers was defense. Hillsdale held Trevecca to 28.8 percent shooting from the floor in the second half and conceded just three offensive rebounds -- limiting the Trojans to one shot per trip. The Chargers also guarded Trevecca without fouling -- giving up just one trip to the free throw line in the second half.
Junior Patrick Cartier once again led the Chargers offensively, finishing with 25 points and seven rebounds, and Hillsdale also got a lift off the bench from junior Jack Gohlke and freshman Joe Reuter, who each knocked down three 3-pointers to finish with nine points apiece.
Senior Austen Yarian chipped in seven points and five rebounds for Hillsdale, and junior Cole Nau hit a pair of 3-pointers and added three assists as well.
Hillsdale (6-1, 2-0 G-MAC) is now one of just four unbeaten teams left in the league after a wild opening weekend in conference play. The Chargers next host Ohio Dominican (1-7, 0-2 G-MAC) on Thursday before a trip to Cedarville on Saturday in an important early-season battle of G-MAC co-leaders.
Photo by MaryKate Drews