Hillsdale 62, Lake Erie 56

December 3, 2011 - They didn't make it easy on themselves, but the Chargers pulled out a hard-fought men's basketball win Saturday afternoon on the road.

Hillsdale defeated Lake Erie College 62-56 in Painesville, Ohio to improve to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC. The two wins this week were key victories on the road over division opponents, which are never easy to come by in this league.

The Chargers controlled the action and held the lead for most of the game's final 30 minutes. A pair of free throws by sophomore guard Darius Ware gave the Chargers a 45-31 lead with 14 minutes to go. But the Storm hit Hillsdale with a 17-4 run that cut that lead to just one point with 6:10 remaining.

Sophomore Brandon Pritzl then pulled the Chargers out of the frying pan with seven points in less than three minutes, sparking the team on a 9-2 run that gave it much-needed breathing room. His first points of the run came on a 3-point shot, the ultimate momentum killer.

Lake Erie creeped back to within three, thanks in part to five straight misses from the free throw line by Hillsdale, but the Chargers hung on for the victory.

Junior center Nick Washburn led Hillsdale with 17 points, while senior Brent Eaton scored 16, including two 3-pointers late in the first half that helped give Hillsdale a 38-26 lead at halftime. Pritzl scored a season-high 12 and snagged seven rebounds.

Hillsdale will play its conference home opener Thursday against the University of Finlday starting at 8 p.m.