The Hillsdale College men's basketball team battled all the way back from a 23-point second half deficit to take the lead with under four minutes to play, but couldn't finish off the victory in a tight 76-71 loss to Ohio Dominican at home on Saturday.
Hillsdale trailed 55-32 with 13:57 left in the game but caught fire, outscoring the Panthers 34-10 over the next 10 minutes and taking a 66-65 lead with 3:44 to go on a
Cole McWhinnie 3-pointer. McWhinnie took charge of the game during that stretch, hitting all four of his 3-pointers in the game and scoring 15 of his 17 points to help the Chargers claw their way back into the game.
Tommy Morgan also was huge for Hillsdale during the comeback, scoring all eight of his points during that run, including a solo 6-0 run that got the Chargers within two points.
Although ODU answered the run with back-to-back baskets, Hillsdale's
Garrett Bolte knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:16 to play to keep Hillsdale within one basket, 70-69. Ultimately, however, the Chargers went cold down the stretch, going 0 for 4 from the field in the final two minutes, while ODU went 4 for 4 from the line to put the game away.
Hillsdale couldn't overcome a difficult first 25 minutes of the game that saw ODU dictate the action from a physical standpoint and build a massive lead. The Chargers shot just 32% from the floor in the first half against an aggressive and physical Panthers defense, and while Hillsdale figured out the answers in the second half, it took too much energy for the Chargers to get back in the game to leave anything in the tank to get across the finish line late.
McWhinnie led the Chargers offensively with 17 points and four rebounds, while
Caleb Glaser was one rebound shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Bolte added 10 points off the bench for the Chargers, and Morgan finished with eight points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Hillsdale is now 9-13 overall, 6-8 in the G-MAC after today's loss, and hits the road for critical contests next week, starting with a trip to a red-hot Lake Erie team on Thursday, Feb. 12 for a 7:30 p.m. tip. The Chargers are in a tight battle with Malone for the eighth and final G-MAC Tournament spot, and quality road wins could make the difference between postseason basketball and an early end to the season.
