Box score

February 19, 2011 – Now that’s how you close it out in style.

Playing their final home game of the regular season, the Hillsdale College men’s basketball team put together a focused and devastating effort in dismantling Saginaw Valley State University 84-68 before a big Senior Day crowd Saturday afternoon at Jesse Philips Arena. The Chargers are now 20-3 overall and 14-3 in the GLIAC, and have played their way into a first-place tie in the GLIAC South Division with next Thursday’s opponent, the University of Findlay.

On a day where Hillsdale honored its four graduating seniors – Joe Caruso, Nick Meinert, Ryan Robinet and Matt Papach (pictured) – the team put on a magnificent shooting performance to earning the victory. The team made a season-best 16 3-point shots, shooting 48 percent from downtown. Two of the team’s most reliable players combined for 11 of those shots.

Junior Brent Eaton was locked in, draining six of nine shots from behind the arc to finish with a game-high 22 points. With Saginaw Valley State employing a zone defense through a majority of the game, Eaton, along with the expert table-setting of point guard Tyler Gerber, was able to find open spots in that zone. A couple of Eaton’s shots came from well beyond the NBA’s 3-point stripe.

Gerber was no slouch shooting the ball, either. He nailed five 3-point baskets, including his first three of the game early in the first half, and finished with 20 points, four rebounds, 10 assists and four steals in a marvelous performance. His first three 3-point baskets came in a three-minute span in the first eight minutes of the game, a start that clearly gave the Chargers confidence in their offensive game plan against the long and athletic Cardinals.

On the other end of the court, Hillsdale forced SVSU into many difficult shots, holding the Cardinals to just 14 percent shooting from the field in the first half (4-for-27). What saved the Cardinals was their aggressiveness with the ball and their great touch from the free throw line. The Cardinals were 15-for-16 from the charity stripe in the first half, which kept the game from being a much bigger margin than the 40-25 edge the Chargers enjoyed.

Although SVSU shot much better in the second half, Hillsdale countered with endless waves of players making shots, maintaining a double-digit lead. Ten different players scored in the game for Hillsdale, and six different players made a 3-pointer. One of the most gratifying performances came by Robinet, a senior playing in his final home game. He buried two 3-point baskets in the first half, and produced eight points and three rebounds in 12 minutes of action.

Fellow senior guard Caruso had five points in seven minutes, making both of his field goal attempts, including one from 3-point territory.

Junior Brad Guinane added 13 points and eight rebounds to Hillsdale’s winning effort, while redshirt-freshman Tim Dezelski had five points and six rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.

Thanks to Findlay’s 18-point loss at Ferris State Saturday afternoon, the Chargers and Oilers are now tied atop the GLIAC South Division with identical 14-3 conference records. That sets up a huge matchup between these two teams Thursday night in Findlay, with the winner getting the inside track to the GLIAC’s No. 2 overall seed in the upcoming conference tournament. Hillsdale has not beaten Findlay since Jan. 24, 2002.