The #17/21 Hillsdale College men's basketball team has been lighting up the scoreboard offensively in an undefeated start, but the Chargers' foundation has always been rock-solid defense, and Hillsdale showcased that in spades in a 78-61 win over IU-Northwest on Wednesday night at home.

Against a RedHawks squad that entered the game averaging 90.8 points per contest, Hillsdale clamped down hard defensively, holding IU-Northwest to nearly 30 points below their season average, including just 46.8% shooting from the floor and 31.6% from 3-point range.

Hillsdale's defense was effective at turning stops into scoring opportunities, as the Chargers poured in 21 points off turnovers and 16 points in transition. The Chargers recorded 12 steals and forced 18 RedHawks turnovers, which coupled with a strong performance on the defensive glass helped Hillsdale take 22 more shots in the contest.

Leading the way for Hillsdale was junior Ashton Janowski, who bedeviled IU-Northwest defensively, and was nearly perfect at the offensive end with 22 points on 11 of 13 shooting from the floor, as well as three steals and two assists.

Charles Woodhams added 14 points, four assists and three rebounds for the Chargers, Joe Reuter added 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, and Mikey McCollum stayed hot with 13 points and four rebounds off the bench. CJ Yarian led Hillsdale with seven rebounds as well.

Hillsdale started slow offensively, leading just 17-15 at the halfway point of the first half. But Janowski proved to be the spark, with six straight points to key an 11-0 run that gave Hillsdale a double-digit lead it would never relinquish.

The Chargers (5-0) next travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin and Parkside University for a neutral site game that will put Hillsdale's undefeated record to the test against an impressive Winona State squad that's off to a 3-1 start against strong competition. That game will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.