Hillsdale 72, Lake Superior State 56

December 10, 2011 – There wasn’t much holiday season cheer out on the court during Saturday’s men’s basketball game between Hillsdale College and Lake Superior State University. But the Chargers were very pleased with the final result.

In a game that had some contentious moments in the second half, the Chargers improved to 4-0 in conference play with a 72-56 win over the visiting Lakers at Jesse Philips Arena. Hillsdale is now 8-1 on the season and will host Ashland University Dec. 17 in the team’s final game before Christmas.

A total of three technical fouls were called in the game, all in the second half, and players had to be separated on more than one occasion, during small scrums after the whistle. These two teams have developed a rivalry in recent years, but the Chargers’ harassing defense and offensive balanced ended up making a big difference in this ballgame.

Hillsdale held LSSU to 34 percent shooting from the field in the game, and outscored the Lakers 24-13 from the free throw line.

Senior guard Tyler Gerber was again the catalyst for the team’s offense and defense, leading Hillsdale with 21 points on just 10 field goal attempts in the game. He drained three 3-point field goals, and made the Lakers pay when they fouled him, going 8-for-10 from the line. He also had four rebounds, two assists and no turnovers in 31 minutes of play.

Senior Brent Eaton and junior Nick Washburn each contributed 11 points, with Washburn’s nine rebounds leading all players in the game. Senior Brad Guinane had eight boards, five points and four assists, while sophomore Tim Dezelski came off the bench to score eight points, along with five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots in 20 minutes of playing time.

The Chargers shot 51 percent from the field for the game, and went 4-for-6 from 3-point land in the second half.