Trailing at halftime on the road, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team seized control with a gritty defensive effort in the final 20 minutes to beat host Grand Valley State 67-63 and pick up a key regional victory on Wednesday afternoon.

After conceding six 3-pointers in the first half, the Chargers held GVSU to 1 for 12 from beyond the arc and just 38.4% from the floor down the stretch to lock down the Lakers. That defensive effort opened the door for Hillsdale to take charge of a tightly-contested, back-and-forth contest where neither squad held a lead larger than six points for the first 32 minutes of the game. 

The Chargers took the lead for good with 11:18 to play on a basket by redshirt freshman Logan Beaston, and it was Beaston who gave the Chargers some breathing room with a made 3-pointer with 7:42 to to go that put Hillsdale up 56-49. GVSU responded, cutting Hillsdale's lead to 56-54 with 5:12 to go, but the Chargers' Ashton Janowski answered on the next possession with a basket and made free throw after being fouled on his layup that sparked an 11-3 Hillsdale run that all but put the game away. 

Leading 67-57 with 1:25 to play, Hillsdale had to hold off a late surge by the Lakers in the final 30 seconds of the game, but GVSU was unable to cut into the lead enough to have a real chance late. During Hillsdale's closing stretch, the Chargers were at their best defensively, holding GVSU without a field goal for four minutes and 46 seconds of game time to build an unassailable 10 point lead.

Hillsdale's stout defensive effort helped the Chargers win a contest where GVSU heavily outrebounded Hillsdale, 45-31. The Lakers were unable to get any production in transition, scoring just three fast-break points and one point off turnovers as the Chargers had just five giveaways in the contest. Unable to run, GVSU was forced to play half-court basketball against the Chargers for nearly 40 full minutes and struggled to break down Hillsdale's set defense.

Continuing an impressive start, Beaston scored 18 points to lead all players, knocking down four 3-pointers and showcasing some ability to score off the dribble as well. Janowski added 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in an efficient performance, and Charles Woodhams added 10 points, five rebounds and two assists as well. 

Senior Joe Reuter also filled up the stat sheet with six points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks for Hillsdale, and Eric Radisevic and C.J. Yarian additionally chipped in six points, three rebounds and two assists each.

Hillsdale improves to 6-1 overall with the victory, and picks up an in-region road win against a quality opponent that improves its overall resume. The Chargers now turn their focus to conference play, with G-MAC action beginning next week. Hillsdale has back-to-back home games lined up on Thursday and Saturday, beginning with a conference opener against Ohio Dominican on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.