Box Score

Playing a grind-it-out game for the second consecutive day, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team had to dig deep, but it found just enough to extend its winning streak to three Sunday afternoon.

The Chargers defeated Malone University 73-70 in a game that was in doubt until the final shot rang off the rim at the buzzer. Hillsdale is now 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the GLIAC while the Pioneers are still in search of their first GLIAC win of the season.

This was the final regular season meeting between these programs until both are members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in 2017-18.

The challenge of playing back-to-back games was evident for both teams at different points in the game. The Chargers struggled shooting from the field throughout the game, with many of their shots – while within the comfort zone of those who took them – bounced off the front of the rim, or rimmed in and out, sometimes symbolic of the kind of lower body fatigue that playing on back-to-back days brings. But in the moments when they needed shots to fall the most, the Chargers turned to their most reliable weapons.

Senior Kyle Cooper and freshman Nate Neveau each scored more than 20 points, but the game's biggest shot may have been made by sophomore Stedman Lowry.

With the Chargers clinging to a two-point lead with less than two minutes to play, Lowry, who was 2-for-9 from the field to that point, swished a cold-blooded 3-pointer to give Hillsdale all-important breathing room, 67-62. Although Lowry had a tough day shooting, he showed the guts and confidence great shooters need in order to be successful, taking a shot that proved to be huge as the final seconds unfolded.

Malone kept the pressure on Hillsdale by scoring six points on just two possessions in the game's final 12 seconds. Christian Graves made all three free throws after getting fouled, while eight seconds later, Stephen O'Daniel III drained a 3-pointer on the run with a defender in his face, making the score 71-70 with 4 seconds left.

But Neveau capped the best game of his young career by calmly draining two free throws with 2 seconds left, providing the game's final scoring margin.

Neveau, just a redshirt-freshman, played the kind of game that should make Charger fans thrilled, knowing he has three years of eligibility left. Neveau set career-highs with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 3 steals, while dishing out 4 assists in 31 minutes. He played with smarts and heart, using his energy to help lift Hillsdale after a slow start to the first half.

Cooper capped a brilliant weekend with a team-high 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. The Pioneers constantly double-teamed Cooper throughout the second half, but he still managed to shoot 10-for-18 from the field, extending his GLIAC-leading scoring average to 23.9 for the season.

Lowry made six of his seven free throws on his way to 14 points in the victory. Senior guard Zach Miller made four free throws down the stretch and finished with 7 points and 5 assists.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: The Chargers outscored the Pioneers 25-10 from the free throw line, on 19 more attempts…Hillsdale won despite shooting 39 percent from the field and 21 percent from 3-point land…Both teams made six 3-pointers, but Malone did so on 13 fewer attempts…The Chargers shot 82 percent from the line (18-for-22) in the second half…Cooper averaged 33 points per game in the team's two wins over the programs from Canton, Ohio this weekend.

UP NEXT: Hillsdale hits the road to face Wayne State at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Detroit.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kadie Lowery