Hillsdale 75, Johnson C. Smith 69

December 31, 2011 - The Hillsdale College men's basketball team closed out a memorable 2011 with a victory and a trophy. Hopefully, more of the same await the Chargers in 2012.

Hillsdale improved to 11-1 on the season with a hard-fought 75-69 win over Johnson C. Smith University in the Quincy University Tournament championship game in Illinois.

The Chargers had some extra hardware for the long trip home thanks to another steady effort at both ends of the court by senior forward Brad Guinane, who busted out for 22 points and 13 rebounds. He was rewarded for his fine play by landing a spot on the All-Tournament Team, along with sophomore teammate Brandon Pritzl.

Guinane made all seven of his free throws, and spread out his rebounds nearly evenly - six on the offensive end and seven on the defensive end. He hit seven of his 16 shots from the field, and did another terrific job of finding soft spots in the defense, and taking shots within the natural flow of the team's offense.

Pritzl, who came off the bench in both games in Illinois, exploded for 19 points, hitting four 3-point field goals in 26 minutes off the bench. He hit a 3-pointer that increased Hillsdale's lead to 11 points in the second half.

Johnson C. Smith then went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to one, but Hillsdale counter-punched well and never trailed in the second half of this game.

Senior Brent Eaton scored 13 points and hit three 3-point shots for the Chargers. Hillsdale outrebounded Johnson C. Smith 38-32 and shot 47 percent from the field.

The Chargers return home Thursday, Jan. 5 for a key GLIAC home game versus Wayne State University.