Hillsdale 71, St. Joseph's 69

November 16, 2011 - The Hillsdale College men's basketball team won its first road game of the new season Wednesday night, using clutch shots late in the game to earn a 7-169 win over the St. Joseph's College Pumas in Indiana.

The 2-0 Chargers return home for their next two games, the first coming at 1:00 Saturday against NAIA Northwestern Ohio.

As a team, Hillsdale made just one 3-point field goal in the game's first 34 minutes. But senior Brent Eaton drained two shots from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions to break a 60-60 tie. Eaton then sank two free throws late in the game to provide the final difference in scoring for the road team.

Although Eaton shot just 3-for-13 from the floor, his two late threes couldn't have come at a better time on a night where offense was a struggle at times for both teams.

In the first half, the teams combined to shoot around 30 percent from the field. The Chargers were salvaged by their free throw shooting. The team was 18-for-22 from the line in the first half, and finished the game with 28 of their 71 points coming from the charity stripe.

The two teams combined to shoot 67 free throws. A total of 46 fouls - 23 on each team - were called, and Hillsdale shot just 20 percent from 3-point territory.

One big advantage Hillsdale had was on the boards. The Chargers outrebounded the Pumas 50-35 in the game, helping to make up for their shooting struggles.

Eaton led Hillsdale with 12 points, while senior forward Brad Guinane had 11. Sophomore Tim Dezelski scored 10 off the bench. Eaton and Guinane had eight rebounds apiece, and senior guard Tyler Gerber was credited with two blocked shots.