The Hillsdale College men's basketball team used a strong defensive effort and timely shooting to get revenge on Tiffin on Thursday night, downing the Dragons 67-59 in a critical conference contest.

The Chargers never trailed after the 18:27 mark of the first half and led by double digits for almost all of the second half, until late 3-pointers allowed Tiffin to close the lead to eight with the game out of reach in the closing seconds.

Hillsdale stifled the Dragons offensively, holding Tiffin to just 41.8% shooting from the floor and 5 of 17 from 3-point range, while giving up just 22 first half points. That defensive showing gave Hillsdale space to methodically build its lead, going up 23-12 with six and a half minutes to play in the first half and never looking back.

The Chargers used a balanced offensive effort to break down a tough Tiffin defense that ranks among the G-MAC leaders. Connor Stonebraker, making his first-ever start, led the way with 14 points, and was one of five Chargers players in double figures. Caleb Glaser added 11 points, five rebounds and two steals, Cole McWhinnie chipped in 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Tommy Morgan added 10 points and a team-leading six assists for the Chargers as well.

Braylon Morris also finished with 10 points for Hillsdale, and CJ Yarian added four points and a team-high eight rebounds off the bench in a solid all-around effort. 

The Chargers made nine 3-pointers with six different players hitting at least one to help separate from the Dragons on the scoreboard. Hillsdale also limited its turnovers, with just nine on the night, and turned 14 Tiffin turnovers into 11 points.

Hillsdale improves to 9-12 overall, 6-7 in the G-MAC with the victory, and the win also helps the Chargers maintain their grip on the eighth spot in the conference's Point Ranking System that determines seeding and qualification for the G-MAC Tournament in March. Hillsdale has a decent lead over Malone for the eighth and final spot, and can widen the gap with a victory on Saturday at home if the Chargers can get by a tough Ohio Dominican team. Hillsdale takes on the Panthers at 3 p.m. on Fan Appreciation Day and Alumni Day in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.