The Hillsdale College men's basketball team nearly overcame an 18-point halftime deficit on Saturday, but host Findlay's halftime lead proved to be too much to overcome in the end in a 61-53 road loss.
The Chargers outscored the host Oilers 36-26 in the second half, cutting the deficit to five points, 56-51, with a minute left to play, but a step-back 3-pointer by Nathan Bruns on the next possession gave Findlay the edge it needed to run out the clock.
Hillsdale struggled to overcome a rough first half offensively, where the Chargers finished with just 17 points and shot 30.4% from the floor, including 1 of 10 from 3-point range. That lack of offensive production allowed Findlay to seize control early and build a daunting lead in their home gym.
The Chargers refused to go quietly, slowly chipping away at the lead in the second half to get back into the game. Junior Patrick Cartier had another sensational game for Hillsdale and carried the Chargers offensively throughout, finishing with 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks on 12 of 16 shooting from the floor.
Both freshman Joe Reuter and senior Austen Yarian stepped up offensively in the second half, as well, to give the Chargers a chance. Reuter scored eight of his 11 points off the bench in the second half for Hillsdale, and Austen Yarian scored seven of his nine after halftime, with Yarian also chipping in eight rebounds and two assists. Junior Kyle Goessler added three points, four rebounds and three assists as well.
The Chargers outshot the Oilers from the floor in the game, 41.8% to 40.4%, but were just 17.4% from 3-point range to Findlay's 31.6%, and shot just three free throws to Findlay's 12. Hillsdale also outrebounded the Oilers 34 to 29 but committed an uncharacteristically high 16 turnovers that Findlay turned into 21 points, a major factor in the big first half deficit.
Hillsdale falls to 15-5 overall, and 10-4 in G-MAC play. With Walsh's win over G-MAC leader Malone, also on Saturday, Hillsdale remains just a game out of first place in the G-MAC standings and still in position to make a push with games against both the Cavaliers and Pioneers, now tied for the lead, next week, though both games will be on the road.
Photo Courtesy of Findlay Athletics