January 19, 2010 - After playing just one home game in a 33-day span, the Hillsdale College men's and women's basketball teams will get reacquainted with the friendly confines of Jesse Philips Arena in the next couple weeks.

Each team begins a stretch of four straight games at home, starting with Thursday night's home games against Ashland University. The women's game starts at 6 p.m., with the men's game to follow at 8:00.

The Charger men (3-11, 3-7) weathered the storm of a difficult schedule to open the season and have won two of their past three games. Hillsdale is 6-1 combined vs. Ashland and Tiffin since the start of the 2007-08 season.

The Chargers earned their biggest win of this season (by points) Saturday, 78-62, vs. Northern Michigan University on the road. In that game, sophomore Brent Eaton and senior Luke Laser each scored a season-high 27 points to pace the Hillsdale attack.

Eaton also made a bit of history in the win. He went 7-for-8 from 3-point land, setting a new single-game school record for 3-point percentage (.889). In December 2007, Tim Homan set a school record with 10 3-pointers in a win over Saginaw Valley State. Impressive accomplishments in those categories, especially considering the fact that in the mid-1990s, Hillsdale regularly led the nation in 3-pointers made and attempted as a team.

Despite its 3-7 GLIAC record, Hillsdale's three wins have come over teams with better records at the time of the game. The Chargers defeated both second-place teams in the North (Saginaw Valley State) and South (Wayne State) Divisions. Two of the team's three GLIAC wins have come on the road.

The last time Hillsdale hosted Ashland was the 2008-09 regular season finale. In that game, the Chargers raced out to a 40-5 lead on their way to an 89-63 victory on Senior Day.

On Jan. 3, 2008, these two teams played in one of the wildest games in recent GLIAC history, Hillsdale edging the Eagles in Ashland 112-110 in overtime. In that game, three Hillsdale starters scored 27 or more points, and the two teams combined for 26 3-point field goals and shot 58 percent from the floor.

Ashland is led by junior center Kale Richardson, who is one of the most talented big men in the GLIAC. A former GLIAC Freshman of the Year, Richardson is averaging 12 points and six rebounds per game. Fellow frontcourt man Evan Yates leads the GLIAC in field goal percentage, and teams with Richardson to give the Eagles a formidable duo in the paint.

Ashland is 8-7 and is coached by John Ellenwood, who is in his first season leading the program.

Tiffin is winless in the GLIAC this season and is also led by a first-year coach, John Hill. The Chargers beat the Dragons by a total of 84 points in their two meetings last season.

Hillsdale and Ashland have enjoyed a competitive rivalry over the years, with each team taking turns racking up winning streaks against the other.

Entering this year's first matchup between the teams, the Chargers are the ones holding the recent upper hand in the rivalry. Hillsdale has beaten Ashland six straight times, recording season sweeps of Ashland in 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09. No member of the current Charger roster has lost to Ashland in their careers.

These teams currently rank 2-3 in the GLIAC South Division, with the Chargers holding a two-game lead on the Eagles, trailing division leader Findlay.The top two teams in each division host a first-round GLIAC Tournament game on March 2, giving this game some added importance in the big picture of the conference title race.

Hillsdale (6-8, 6-6) is coming off a pair of very close losses on the road to #5 Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan. The Chargers lost each game by four points, and fell to the Huskies in overtime.

Guards Brooke Knight and Chelsea Harrison have played some of their best basketball since the start of the new calendar year. Knight has racked up at least 11 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in each of her past four games. She leads the conference in assists per game and ranks second in steals per game.

Harrison leads the GLIAC in 3-pointers made per game, and has scored in double figures in all but one contest this season. Her shooting ability, strength and quickness make her a difficult cover for guards on opposing teams.

Just one of Hillsdale's next five opponents have a conference record of .500 or greater, providing the Chargers a chance to move back into first place in the South Division. If Hillsdale is to win a third straight South Division title, it cannot finish in a tie with Findlay, since the Oilers have swept the Chargers in their season series in 2009-10.

The last time Tiffin's women's basketball team visited Hillsdale, it turned out to be one of the most nerve-wracking games in recent memory for Charger fans. Tiffin held a three-point lead and was at the free throw line with 24 seconds left in their Feb. 26, 2009 meeting. But the second of those two free throws was missed, giving the Chargers a slim chance for a win.

Harrison swished a 3-point bomb from the right corner to tie the game. Tiffin then turned the ball over before inbounding the basketball, leading to Janay Miller's game-winning shot at the buzzer to give Hillsdale a 76-74 win.

The Dragons are led by the GLIAC's leading scorer, Mandy Jaeb, who on Tuesday, was named the GLIAC South Division Player of the Week. Jaeb, a sophomore guard, had 35 points in a win over Saginaw Valley State last week.