THe Hillsdale College men's basketball team started Saturday's road contest at Lake Erie hot at the offensive end, and only got hotter as the game wore on.
Leading 39-35 at the half in a fast-paced contest, Hillsdale turned up the intensity even further in the second half, shooting 56% from the floor, 45% from 3-point range, and pouring in 50 points after the break for an 89-71 victory over the host Storm.
Junior Joe Reuter played a big role in the victory, scoring 20 of his career-high 30 points in the second half to help the Chargers pull away. Reuter, who came close to a triple-double with nine rebounds and six assists as well, shot 11 of 19 from the floor in an efficient performance.
Great ball movement was critical to the Chargers' victory, as 27 of Hillsdale's 33 baskets in the contest were assisted. Hillsdale moved the ball and methodically picked the Lake Erie defense apart, catching the Storm in rotation on their 2-3 zone and punishing steal attempts with backdoor cuts to the rim.
That unselfish offensive attitude led to great scoring balance behind Reuter, as eight Chargers scored at least six points in the win. Senior Samuel Vasiu added nine points and five rebounds, Charles Woodhams chipped in eight points and five assists, Cole McWhinnie had eight points, four rebounds and four assists, and Eric Radisevic added eight points as well. Freshman Mikey McCollum chipped in seven points and seven rebounds, and Ashton Janowski added seven points as well.
The Chargers won the rebounding battle against the Storm, 37-28, and created 13 second chance points, while also turning 10 Lake Erie turnovers into an impressive 18 points in the victory. Hillsdale's depth shone in the contest, with 31 points contributed by the Chargers' bench. Hillsdale also had a great night at the foul line, shooting 14 of 16 on free throws.
The victory improves Hillsdale to 14-8 overall, 9-6 in G-MAC play, and helps give them some breathing room from the cut-line for a G-MAC Tourney berth. The Chargers are now sixth in the standings in a crowded conference race that has ninth place just three games back of the current G-MAC leader, Kentucky Wesleyan, with three weeks left in the regular season. The Chargers now return home after a tough four game road trip with two critical games next week in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena against teams ahead of the standings, starting with a contest against G-MAC co-leader Cedarville on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Photo by Reva Ludwig