Coming off a longer-than expected layoff out of the Christmas break and facing a defensively tough and physical opponent in Walsh, the #20/23 Hillsdale College men's basketball team never got on track offensively in a 76-52 home loss on Thursday night.
The Chargers needed a late surge to get to 24 points in the first half, and couldn't keep pace as Walsh found its rhythm offensively, streching a seven point halftime advantage into a double-digit lead early in the second half and continuing to pull away as the period wore on.
Hillsdale shot a season-low mark of 29.6 percent from the floor, its worst shooting performance in a game since a Feb. 13, 2018 loss at Ohio Dominican nearly four full years ago, including a 5 for 29 performance from 3-point range.
Junior Patrick Cartier led the Chargers with 12 points and four assists in the contest, and junior Noah Applegate and freshman Joe Reuter each chipped in nine points and four rebounds off the bench. Senior Austen Yarian chipped in seven points and four assists, and junior Tavon Brown added four points, six assists and two blocks as well.
The Chargers struggled at both ends in the paint, as Walsh outrebounded Hillsdale 44-32 and outscored the Chargers 40-22 in points in the paint.
Hillsdale (9-3, 4-2 G-MAC) will look to shake off the loss and get back on track, though another tough test looms on Saturday as Malone, the G-MAC co-leader with Walsh, visits for a 3 p.m. tipoff.
Photo by Gwen Buchhop