Just a couple of inches separated the Hillsdale College men's basketball team from victory in a 53-52 thriller against Ashland on Thursday at home.
The Chargers had two contested chances to score at the rim with under five seconds to play but couldn't get either to fall as the Eagles held on for the victory in a physical, hard-fought contest.
Hillsdale rallied from eight points down with 3:15 to play to give themselves a chance at a victory, as junior Kyle Goessler hit three 3-pointers on three straight possessions to cut a 51-43 deficit to a one-possession game with 1:40 to play.
But the Chargers came up empty on their final two possessions with a chance to take the lead, turning the ball over with 58 seconds to play and missing a layup and put-back as time expired.
Goessler scored 15 of his game-high 18 points in the second half to help Hillsdale nearly rally, and junior Patrick Cartier also played a big role down the stretch, scoring nine of his 16 points late on three and-1s to help keep the Chargers in the game as Ashland threatened to pull away.
Hillsdale led a low-scoring game 18-17 at the half, but Ashland got hot from deep in the second half, shooting 6 of 11 from 3-point range after halftime and leading by as many as 10 points.
Cartier finished with seven rebounds to go along with his 16 points, senior Austen Yarian chipped in five points, six rebounds and three steals for the Chargers, and junior Jack Gohlke added five points and five assists off the bench.
Junior Tavon Brown chipped in three points and 10 rebounds for the Chargers, who shot just 37.5 percent from the floor in the contest. Ashland didn't shoot much better offensively, just 38.5 percent, as both defenses dominated throughout.
Hillsdale outrebounded Ashland 33-29 but had an uncharacteristically high 17 turnovers and were outscored 13-8 in points off turnovers, a small edge for the Eagles that proved critical in such a close game.
The loss drops Hillsdale to 10-4 overall and 5-3 in the G-MAC, though the Chargers remain just one game out of first place thanks to Cedarville's 76-73 win over Walsh on Thursday night. Hillsdale looks to get back on track this weekend with a road contest against Tiffin on Saturday, with tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m.
Photo by Anthony Lupi