January 8, 2009 – It was a double dose of overtime at Northwood University’s Bennett Center Thursday night.

After the Charger women’s basketball team defeated the Timberwolves 80-76 in overtime, the men’s team was unable to pull off the double-double, losing to Northwood 77-75. Hillsdale is now 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the GLIAC, while the T’wolves are 9-3 on the season.

Junior Luke Laser buried a 3-point basket from the left wing with five seconds left in regulation to tie the game, reversing momentum that was mostly in Northwood’s favor for the game’s final 13 minutes. But in the overtime session, Northwood’s Chris Johnson made the big plays.

With the Chargers leading 69-67, Johnson drove on the right side of the rim, making a layup and converting a three-point play. On the next possession, Johnson drained a 3-point shot from at least 25 feet out, putting the Timberwolves ahead 73-69 with 1:24 left in overtime. Johnson finished with 31 points and seven rebounds for Northwood.

Even after Johnson’s big plays, the Chargers had chances to either win the game or force a second OT. Freshman guard Tyler Gerber converted a three-point play to make it a one-point game. Johnson then hit a free throw, followed by one free throw make by senior Keith MacKenzie.

On a scramble after the next in-bounds play, Gerber scooped up a loose ball and made a layup that tied the game 75-75 with 11.8 seconds left. Northwood, who was 22-for-40 as a team from the line, was 2-for-4 from the line in the final 10 seconds. Gerber had a running jump shot attempt at the buzzer that agonizingly bounced away, sealing the loss for the Chargers.

Senior Travis Worst played his best game of the season, scoring a season-high 20 points to go along with five rebounds in 40 minutes of play on the night. He scored 13 of his points in the first half, which alone, represented a season-high. But Hillsdale went cold in the second half, going 6-for-19 from the field as the Timberwolves took a lead that grew to as large as seven.

Senior Tony Gugino led Hillsdale with 25 points and eight rebounds in the game. He ended up fouling out halfway through overtime, robbing the Chargers of their leading scorer for the game’s final two minutes.

The game took a physical turn in the last seven minutes, as both teams were getting called for fouls on nearly every possession, and a Northwood player got called for a technical foul. Both teams reached the double bonus with more than five minutes left in the second half.

Hillsdale remains on the road Saturday, taking on Wayne State University in Detroit starting at 3 p.m.

To view the box score from Thursday’s game, click on the link below.

Box score