Second-half explosion lifts men's basketball team to 40-point triumph over Cardinals
January 29, 2009 - The frustrations of a now-distant seven-game losing streak were taken out on Saginaw Valley State Thursday night by the Hillsdale College men's basketball team.
A 52-20 second-half score told most of the story in the Chargers' 83-43 win over the Cardinals at Jesse Philips Arena. Hillsdale has now won four in a row and is 9-8 overall and 7-6 in the GLIAC after the win.
This marks the second win in a row by 40 or more points for Hillsdale, who beat Tiffin last Saturday 91-43.
After losing back-to-back overtime games on Jan. 8 and Jan. 10, the Chargers have attacked their last four opponents with renewed confidence and killer instinct. Hillsdale's first two wins in its current streak came by three and four points. But in their last two, the Chargers built up a big lead in the first half, and solidified it with a focused and sharp second half of basketball.
In addition to Hillsdale's 32-point advantage in the second half, the team shot 59 percent in the final 20 minutes, while limiting the Cardinals to eight field goals in each half. SVSU shot just 31 percent for the game, including a 1-for-12 mark from 3-point land in the second half.
Hillsdale opened the game strong, taking an 11-0 lead seven minutes into the contest. The lead grew to as many as 12 in the first half, but SVSU rallied with improved defensive energy, slicing the game to 31-23 by halftime.
But the second half was a display of Charger domination, as Hillsdale held Saginaw Valley State without a point for more than five minutes, gradually expanding its lead with a balanced and energetic offensive attack.
The Chargers put a 14-2 burst on the Cardinals in the first five minutes of the second half and never looked back. Thirteen different players scored at least three points in the contest for Hillsdale.
Senior Travis Worst led the balanced offense with 14 points. He was 6-for-9 from the floor and rained two 3-point baskets. Senior center Chris Skaggs played a tough, physical game in the paint and had 11 points along with a season-high 10 rebounds. The team's guards did an excellent job of throwing accurate and catchable passes to Skaggs, who used his size advantage to score from the low block area.
Guards Evan Steward and Joe Caruso each finished with eight points, while senior Keith MacKenzie had seven points, five rebounds and a season-high nine assists. Luke Laser, pictured throwing down a dunk, had six points, four rebounds and three assists for Hillsdale, against his former team.
Saturday, Hillsdale will face a much-improved Lake Superior State University team in Sault Ste. Marie starting at 3 p.m.
Click on the link below for the box score from Thursday's game.
Box score
A 52-20 second-half score told most of the story in the Chargers' 83-43 win over the Cardinals at Jesse Philips Arena. Hillsdale has now won four in a row and is 9-8 overall and 7-6 in the GLIAC after the win.
This marks the second win in a row by 40 or more points for Hillsdale, who beat Tiffin last Saturday 91-43.
After losing back-to-back overtime games on Jan. 8 and Jan. 10, the Chargers have attacked their last four opponents with renewed confidence and killer instinct. Hillsdale's first two wins in its current streak came by three and four points. But in their last two, the Chargers built up a big lead in the first half, and solidified it with a focused and sharp second half of basketball.
In addition to Hillsdale's 32-point advantage in the second half, the team shot 59 percent in the final 20 minutes, while limiting the Cardinals to eight field goals in each half. SVSU shot just 31 percent for the game, including a 1-for-12 mark from 3-point land in the second half.
Hillsdale opened the game strong, taking an 11-0 lead seven minutes into the contest. The lead grew to as many as 12 in the first half, but SVSU rallied with improved defensive energy, slicing the game to 31-23 by halftime.
But the second half was a display of Charger domination, as Hillsdale held Saginaw Valley State without a point for more than five minutes, gradually expanding its lead with a balanced and energetic offensive attack.
The Chargers put a 14-2 burst on the Cardinals in the first five minutes of the second half and never looked back. Thirteen different players scored at least three points in the contest for Hillsdale.
Senior Travis Worst led the balanced offense with 14 points. He was 6-for-9 from the floor and rained two 3-point baskets. Senior center Chris Skaggs played a tough, physical game in the paint and had 11 points along with a season-high 10 rebounds. The team's guards did an excellent job of throwing accurate and catchable passes to Skaggs, who used his size advantage to score from the low block area.
Guards Evan Steward and Joe Caruso each finished with eight points, while senior Keith MacKenzie had seven points, five rebounds and a season-high nine assists. Luke Laser, pictured throwing down a dunk, had six points, four rebounds and three assists for Hillsdale, against his former team.
Saturday, Hillsdale will face a much-improved Lake Superior State University team in Sault Ste. Marie starting at 3 p.m.
Click on the link below for the box score from Thursday's game.
Box score
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