March 6, 2010 – For a half, the Hillsdale College men’s basketball team could do no wrong and appeared to carry this late-season rally to unforeseen heights.

Then, the University of Findlay showed nearly 1,700 spectators why it is the defending national champions.

The Oilers used a 21-3 run in the first seven minutes of the second half to clinch their second straight GLIAC Tournament championship, going on to a 79-66 win over the Chargers Saturday night at Findlay’s Croy Gymnasium. Hillsdale is now 16-13, but still stands a slim chance of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. The selections will be announced on ncaa.com Sunday evening. Findlay is 24-6 and will get a chance to defend its national title in next week’s regional tournament.

Sophomores Tyler Gerber (top picture) and Brad Guinane (bottom picture) were named to the All-Tournament Team. They combined to shoot 10-for-16 from 3-point land in the championship game.

Findlay is known for huge scoring binges, particularly at home, where it has won 54 games in a row. The Chargers fell victim to one of those runs in that fateful first seven minutes of the second half, where the Oilers fed off the energy of the home crowd, executed its offense and made shots that it missed in the game’s first 20 minutes.

Hillsdale valiantly stayed in the game, thanks to the amazing shooting of Gerber, who drained five 3-point field goals in the second half, and for the first 10 minutes of the second half, was the sole source of points for the Charger offense.

Hillsdale drew to as close as four down, 56-52, after Guinane’s fifth 3-pointer of the game, with 9:56 left in the second half. But the Oilers countered every big play made by the Chargers with two big plays of their own, showing the kind of mettle that have made them Division II’s toughest team to beat on their home court in the past decade.

The Chargers raced out to a 37-28 halftime lead, thanks in large part to otherworldly shooting from the 3-point line. In one unforgettable stretch of basketball, Hillsdale drained six straight 3-point shots, leading by as many as 11 points (31-20) with around six minutes left in the first half. The Chargers shot 82 percent (9-for-11) from beyond the arc in the game’s first 20 minutes. Guinane made four of those shots during that sequence, one rarely seen in more than a century of men’s basketball at Hillsdale College.

Gerber had a heroic effort, leading Hillsdale with 20 points to go along with two rebounds and three assists. He made five 3-point baskets in the game.

Guinane added 17 points and four rebounds, while going 5-for-7 from beyond the 3-point line. Senior Luke Laser had 12 points, two boards and three assists.

Hillsdale shot 15-for-28 as a team from the 3-point stripe in the contest. The Oilers countered with 10 3-pointers of their own, while outrebounding Hillsdale 33-22 in the game.

Findlay’s Nathan Hyde led all players with 24 points in the game. He set tournament records for points scored and 3-pointers made in one tournament season and was named tournament MVP.

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

Findlay 79, Chargers 66