The Hillsdale College men's basketball team scored 41 second-half points and outscored visiting Walsh by seven after halftime, but couldn't overcome a 16-point first half deficit in a 67-58 loss to the Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Trailing 33-17 at the half, the Chargers went on the attack offensively, shooting 16 of 28 from the floor to cut into the deficit. An 8-0 run that included six points by junior Joe Reuter cut the deficit to 46-36, and Hillsdale had a fast break attempt on the ensuing possession to cut Walsh's lead to eight with over 11 minutes to play, but the Chargers were unable to convert and Walsh hit back-to-back 3-pointers to regain control.
Another 8-0 run late by the Chargers cut Walsh's lead to 10 again with 3:02 to play, but the Cavaliers converted on their next four possessions to prevent Hillsdale from getting any closer while the game was still in doubt.
In the end, Hillsdale didn't have enough to out-distance a difficult first half shooting the basketball. The Chargers shot just 22.2% in the first half, and Walsh took advantage, opening the game on a 9-0 run and building a 26-6 lead with 6:20 to play in the half. While Hillsdale was able to stop the bleeding and slow down the Cavaliers enough to give themselves a chance at a second-half comeback, that 16-point halftime deficit was just too tall a hill to climb in the final 20 minutes.
Reuter scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half and chipped in four rebounds to lead the Chargers, while freshman Mikey McCollum was 6 of 9 from the floor and finished with 14 points and two steals off the bench as well. Charles Woodhams added 10 points and Ashton Janowski chipped in six for Hillsdale.
Hillsdale took care of the basketball in the loss, tying the single-game program record with just three turnovers on the night, but were outrebounded 32-20, and a lack of second-chance opportunities was particularly costly in the first half.
The Chargers (10-6, 5-4 G-MAC) will look to bounce back with another tough opponent visiting Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena on Saturday, as Hillsdale plays host to another top four team in the conference, Kentucky Wesleyan, for a 3 p.m. tip. The Wildcats will also be looking for a rebound after falling on the road to Tiffin on Thursday as well.
Photo by Austin Thomason