Box score

January 7, 2012 – Senior guard Tyler Gerber is no stranger to pressure. He was sent to the free throw line six times in the final minute of Saturday’s game between Hillsdale and Tiffin University, and all six times, came through successfully.

Gerber and the Chargers won their ninth game in a row, defeating Tiffin University 78-69 at Jesse Philips Arena. Hillsdale is now 13-1 overall and 7-0 in the GLIAC, and now starts a three-game road trip next week, at Wayne State.

The two teams battled in a tightly played game that saw Tiffin make a number of difficult 3-point shots, especially in the first half. But the Chargers were able to rely on their defense to help turn the game around in the second half.

Tiffin led 53-50 midway through the second half when Hillsdale put a 15-2 run on the Dragons to jump ahead, 65-54. The 11-point lead was quickly cut to two by Tiffin, but Hillsdale was able to tighten up its defense, seal off the boards, and eventually, making their free throws down the stretch to put the game away.

Hillsdale’s defense harassed Tiffin’s leading scorer, Joe Graessle, into a 4-for-19 shooting game from the field. Dragons guard Karl Finley made four 3-pointers, but none in the second half, as Gerber teamed up with Brandon Pritzl to defend Tiffin’s quick and hot-shooting guard effectively.

Senior forward Brad Guinane, the reigning GLIAC Player of the Week in the South Division, lived up to the billing with a team-high 21 points, to go along with five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Guinane made all seven of his free throws, and drained four 3-point shots, forcing Tiffin’s defense to adjust heavily towards him in the second half, which in turned, opened up scoring lanes for other players.

Pritzl, who celebrated his 20th birthday Saturday, stepped up big in the second half and finished with 10 points. Gerber had 15 points, seven assists and was 8-for-8 from the free throw line.

Junior center Nick Washburn had nine points and 11 rebounds, while junior Ryan Choiniere came off the bench to play some crucial minutes for the team, and thrived under the pressure, picking up five rebounds and three assists in 13 quality minutes on the court.

Hillsdale finished 22-for-27 from the free throw line as a team, and forced 12 Tiffin turnovers, while only committing seven.