November 2, 2008 - The Hillsdale College men's basketball team got a chance to play against an opponent Sunday afternoon, and as exhibition games go, this one was very successful for the Chargers.

With 12 players playing 10 or more minutes, Hillsdale put together two good halves of basketball in an 83-63 win over the Athletes in Action squad at Jesse Philips Arena. Hillsdale College will officially open the 2008-09 season on Wednesday, Nov. 19 against Lewis University at home.

Second-year coach John Tharp rotated his roster regularly through the game, and the Chargers played with toughness and efficiency against a bigger and stronger opponent.

The Chargers shot 52 percent from the field in the game, and made 10 of their 23 3-point field goal attempts. Veteran players like Tony Gugino (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Keith MacKenzie (five assists) found their familiar strides from last year. But this team has a big and talented freshman class, and two of them made very favorable first impressions.

Freshman guard Tyler Gerber showed speed and terrific court vision in his 16 minutes on the court. He made one 3-point basket, and dished out four assists and had four steals.

Fellow freshman Brad Guinane had a terrific start, going 5-for-5 from the field with two 3-point shots, to finish with 12 points. He also had four rebounds in 19 minutes of work.

Freshman forward Matt Clarke drained his first two shots from the field, both coming from 3-point territory.

Hillsdale outrebounded Athletes in Action 37-31, and held AIA to 43 percent shooting in the game.