With a 66-54 win over Tiffin University on Saturday, the Hillsdale College men’s basketball team record reaches 7-1 with a four-game winning streak.
Led in scoring by sophomore Patrick Cartier and senior Davis Larson, a common trope over these first eight games, the Chargers solidified their spot on top of the G-MAC standings.
The Chargers started off hot, beginning the game on a 24-9 scoring run, and they didn’t look back, leading by more than 20 points for much of the game.
Not only that, they also held Tiffin to 21 points in the first half, as many as the Chargers pumped out in just the first nine minutes.
“I thought we played great defense on Saturday,” head coach John Tharp said. “We moved to our positions really well, I was really pleased with our defense, we did a great job of supporting each other in the gaps, and were able to clog some things up.”
Cartier scored a season-high of 27 points, one point off of his career-high, while shooting 12-17 from the field.
As usual, Cartier credited much of his success to the rest of his team.
“I think we’re starting to come together as a team and play off of each other, and share the basketball,” Cartier said. “I really like the way we’re playing right now.”
Tharp echoed the importance of strong play from the team’s guards and the team’s emphasis on sharing the ball.
“Cartier’s teammates all knew that we had an advantage inside and they played through him,” Tharp said. “I think it says a lot that we had 18 assists. When we have those types of assist totals, we’re usually winning games.”
Tharp’s words ring true, as the 18 assists on Saturday marks the third time the Chargers have hit that number in a game this season. Each of those games saw Hillsdale winning by at least 12 points.
Ten of those 18 assists came from Larson and fellow senior guard Connor Hill, with six and four, respectively. They also combined for an additional 19 points for the Chargers’ offense.
The team now looks forward to a road trip this week, as they prepare to face Trevecca Nazarene University and Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Despite their early season success, Tharp warns against becoming complacent amid a hard-fought conference.
“Any time you go on the road in this league, you’ve got to be really, really sound defensively, and you’ve got to take care of the basketball and rebound the ball,” Tharp said. “Trevecca will create one issue with us because of their overall size, and I think Kentucky Wesleyan right now is playing as well as anybody in the league.”
With 12 more games left to play in the regular season, Hill said the Chargers are more than ready for the challenge ahead.
“Going forward, we’re 7-1, but I don’t think we’ve even been playing our best basketball yet,” Hill said. “We’re excited to just keep working and then hopefully reach our full potential, that way we can get where we want to be at the end of the year.”