The Hillsdale College men's basketball team hung tough with a tough McKendree team in the first half, but couldn't respond as the Bearcats pulled away in the second half for a 79-66 win on Sunday in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.

The Chargers went toe-to-toe with the 9-2 Bearcats in the first half, battling back from an early 14-5 deficit to trade the lead back and forth with McKendree throughout the first 20 minutes.

Cole McWhinnie hit a 3-pointer and Garrett Bolte knocked down a jumper to cap a 12-0 Hillsdale run that turned that nine point deficit into a three point Charger lead, and neither team led by more than three points from then on in the first half as McKendree took a narrow 35-34 lead into the break.

In the second half, the Chargers just went cold from the field against a physical Bearcats defense, shooting just 31.4% from the floor after the break after making 48% of their shots in the first half. That slow start allowed McKendree to extend their lead to double-digits, and despite a 12-point second half performance from Tommy Morgan, Hillsdale never got closer than eight points to the Bearcats' edge down the stretch.

Morgan finished with 17 points and three rebounds to lead the Chargers, while Bolte chipped in 12 points and six rebounds and McWhinnie added nine points and five rebounds for Hillsdale. 

Caleb Glaser chipped in eight points and five rebounds off the bench for the Chargers, while freshman Matt Buckman added six points in his collegiate debut after missing the first 10 games of the season with an injury.

Hillsdale outrebounded McKendree 33 to 29, along with eight offensive boards to the Bearcats' one, and turned the ball over just eight times, but couldn't overcome a better shooting night by McKendree in the loss, as the Bearcats shot 52% from the floor to Hillsdale's 38.3%.

Hillsdale is now 4-7 overall and will take some time off to regroup over Christmas break. The Chargers will return to the court in the new year on Jan. 3, battling Malone at home in a rematch of a tight 63-57 road loss to the Pioneers on Dec. 4. Malone is currently in a three-way tie for the G-MAC lead with Walsh and Ohio Dominican, so the contest represents a chance for Hillsdale to make up ground in the conference standings.