January 31, 2009 – The four-game winning streak by the Hillsdale College men’s basketball team came to an end Saturday afternoon.

Lake Superior State University used a 23-10 run in the middle of the second half to defeat the Chargers 66-57 in Sault Ste. Marie. Hillsdale is now 9-9 overall and 7-7 in the GLIAC. The Lakers remain in first place in the GLIAC North Division, and are 9-5 in the conference.

Hillsdale led by as many as eight points in the first half, led by the red-hot shooting of senior guard Keith MacKenzie. But the Lakers took control of the game with a 23-10 run that spanned from the 16-minute mark until four minutes were left in the game. That run turned a 42-37 Hillsdale lead into a 60-52 Lakers lead, a lead they wouldn’t lose for the rest of the game.

MacKenzie scored a season-high 24 points, draining five 3-point field goals, but was Hillsdale’s lone player to crack double figures in scoring.

Lake Superior State’s defense helped turn the tide of the game. The Lakers forced 20 Hillsdale turnovers while committing just 10 of their own. LSSU was shooting just 39 percent from the field in the first half, but turned that around in the second half, and ended up with a 45-43 shooting percentage advantage in the game.

Tim VanOudheusden and Ryan Kuhl combined to score half of Lake Superior State’s 66 points in the game.

Senior Tony Gugino had nine points and five rebounds for the Chargers, while freshman Brad Guinane scored seven, all coming in the first half. Junior Tyler Brand had six, coming on back-to-back 3-point field goals in the second half. The Chargers went to the free throw line just eight times in the game, making four shots from the charity stripe.

Hillsdale now starts a stretch of six home games out of its next eight, starting with Thursday night’s showdown with Ferris State University starting at 8 p.m.

To view the statistics from Saturday’s game, click on the link below.

Box score