The #12/24 Hillsdale College men's basketball team broke open a tight, physical contest on the road with strong shooting in the second half, and held on late to down host Ashland 83-78 in a critical G-MAC victory on Thursday night. 

Leading just 69-67 with five minutes to play in the contest, Hillsdale caught fire from deep, as junior Ashton Janowski knocked down 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions and senior Charles Woodhams added a third in quick succession to give the Chargers a 78-67 edge with just three minutes to go. That advantage would prove to be enough, as Hillsdale went 3 of 4 from the line in the final minute to hold off a late push by the Eagles and clinch the victory.

Hillsdale's 3-point flurry that proved fatal for Ashland was emblematic of the night for the Chargers, as Hillsdale knocked down 12 shots from beyond the arc and shot 7 of 10 on 3-pointers in total in the second half. Although the Eagles never allowed Hillsdale to pull away to a comfortable distance, that shooting kept the Chargers in front for virtually the entire second half and for the last seven minutes of the first half as well. Hillsdale had to pull itself back into the game after a slow start saw the Chargers fall behind 14-8, but Hillsdale methodically chipped away at Ashland's early advantage and, after taking a 25-24 lead on a 3-pointer by Woodhams with 7:31 left in the first half, never trailed again.

It was a huge night for Woodhams individually, as the senior showcased every facet of a well-rounded offensive game in a season-best 26 point performance to lead the Chargers. Woodhams also grabbed nine boards to finish one shy of a double-double.

Joe Reuter also played well for Hillsdale in the victory, chipping in 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks, and Mikey McCollum was electric off the bench for the Chargers in the victory, knocking down three 3-pointers and finishing with 17 points as well. Janowski added 12 points and Eric Radisevic chipped in six for Hillsdale as well.

The Chargers were efficient offensively, assisting on 15 of their 27 made baskets and committing just five turnovers in the win.

Hillsdale is now 11-2 overall and remains tied atop the G-MAC standings at 5-0 in G-MAC play. Perhaps just as importantly, the Chargers dealt a big blow to the title hopes of a team expected to contend for the G-MAC crown, as Ashland now falls to 2-3 in conference play with a tough slate of games still to come and a slim margin for error ahead to stay in the race.

The Chargers next return home on Saturday at 3 p.m. for another tough conference test against Lake Erie. The Storm are currently 8-3 overall with a big win over nationally ranked Lake Superior State under their belts, and are looking to get a marquee win in conference play at the Chargers' expense, while Hillsdale seeks to remain unbeaten in the standings.