Trailing by seven at the half, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team stepped up at both ends of the floor and rally for a huge road victory at Thomas More, 73-65 on Saturday.
The Chargers outscored the host Saints 40-25 in the second half, staying hot from the floor, and pulling away down the stretch. The Chargers opened the second half on a 25-6 run, flipping the 40-33 halftime deficit to a 10-point lead in under eight minutes.
Hillsdale never trailed again, parrying every run by the Saints at the lead over the final 12 minutes and closing out the game with a 9-2 run with under seven minutes to play that was kicked off by a Samuel Vasiu 3-pointer. With 1:25 to play and the Chargers up by seven, senior Charles Woodhams capped the run by hitting a turnaround jumper with three seconds on the shot clock to give Hillsdale a 69-60 lead and put the game out of reach.
The Chargers got the victory with their first truly great shooting performance from 3-point range of the season. Hillsdale was 11 for 17 from deep for a ridiculous 64.7% rate, a massive jump for a team that was shooting under 30% from the season and an encouraging sign that the Chargers may be breaking out of that slump. Perhaps more impressively, those 11 makes came from six different Chargers players, allowing Hillsdale to spread out a Thomas More defense that entered the game leading the G-MAC in points allowed per game and break down the Saints throughout the contest.
Woodhams led a balanced effort by the Chargers with 15 points, six rebounds and three steals on the night, but the senior guard had plenty of support. Joe Reuter chipped in a 14 point, 11 rebound double-double and also added four assists, while reserve post Eric Radisevic added a season-high 12 points off the bench, Mikey McCollum finished with nine points and Cole McWhinnie eight points. Strong bench play was another huge factor for the Chargers in the win, as Hillsdale got 29 points from its second unit and outscored Thomas More's bench by 11.
While Hillsdale's offense impressed, the Chargers' second half defense was equally important. After conceding 40 points to the Saints in the first half, Hillsdale shut down Thomas More after the break, holding the Saints to just 35.7% shooting from the floor and 25% from 3-point range. That stinginess played a big part in Hillsdale overturning the halftime deficit.
The win is an important one for Hillsdale, who got revenge for a tough 71-70 home loss to the Saints just nine days earlier. The Chargers improve to 10-5 overall, 5-3 in the G-MAC and move into a three-way tie with Walsh and Ashland for fourth place in the conference standings, while also getting some separation from the Saints and a variety of other teams chasing in the standings.
Hillsdale will return home next week for two huge contests against both the Cavaliers, who are currently one of the two teams tied with the Chargers in the G-MAC, on Thursday at 7 p.m., and against Kentucky Wesleyan, currently third in the G-MAC, on Saturday at 3 p.m. for two consequential games in the G-MAC playoff race.
Photo by Reva Ludwig