Hillsdale 57, Wayne State 48

January 5, 2012 - Sometimes, teams can win games more on guts than made baskets, no-look passes and jumping ability. Thursday night's slugfest between Hillsdale College and Wayne State University was just such a game.

Thanks to superior energy and execution late in the second half, the Chargers moved into sole possession of first place in the GLIAC with a 57-48 win over the visiting Warriors Thursday night at Jesse Philips Arena. Hillsdale is now 12-1 overall and 6-0 in the GLIAC, while Wayne State falls to 5-1 in the league.

This win was significant on many levels for the Chargers. It avenged a three-game sweep suffered at the hands of the Warriors last year, with the last ending Hillsdale's 2010-11 season. It also matched up the only two teams with perfect conference records to this point. And finally, the Warriors led for mych of the game until an emotional comeback by the Chargers in the game's final seven minutes.

Hillsdale has now won eight games in a row.

Hillsdale turned in an outstanding effort in the second half, limiting Wayne State to just 17 points on 4-for-20 shooting from the field. After falling behind by as many as 11 points in the first half, the Chargers showed the resolve of champions, slowly chipping away at the lead, thanks in part to the play of sophomores Tim Dezelski and Brandon Pritzl.

Dezelski's 3-point shot with 3:31 left in the game gave the Chargers their first lead, 51-48. Hillsdale was able to end the game on a 9-0 run, with Dezelski's shot the first of that clinching run.

Hillsdale's defense held Wayne State without a field goal over the final 10:12 of the game, a remarkable stretch given the talent the Warriors possess. The Chargers clamped down on defense thanks to a true team effort, limiting Wayne State to one shot while filling the passing lanes effectively.

Pritzl, fresh off an All-Tournament Team selection at Quincy over the holidays, stepped up by hitting big shots while slicing into the interior of the Wayne State defense on several key possessions in the second half. Pritzl scored 10 points, going 5-for-8 from the field. Dezelski led the team with 13 in 25 quality minutes off the bench.

Junior center Nick Washburn also played well offensively in the second half and finished with 10 points. Senior Brad Guinane had nine points, six rebounds and three assists, while redshirt-freshman Cody Smith gave the team some excellent minutes at point guard, giving workhorse Tyler Gerber a breather at important times of both halves.

Hillsdale will host Tiffin at 3 p.m. Saturday.