Sophomore Mikey McCollum scored 19 points, redshirt senior Charles Woodhams added 17 points, and junior Ashton Janowski contributed 13 points to lead the men’s basketball team to a 76-59 victory over the Ashland University Eagles in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference quarterfinal at home on Tuesday night.

The Chargers now advance to the tournament’s semifinal game, which Hillsdale will host on March 7 at 7:30 pm against the Malone University Pioneers

“We were connected on the defensive end tonight and were able to play most of the game on our terms,” redshirt junior Cole McWhinne said. 

Hillsdale entered the G-MAC playoffs as the No. 3 seed and Ashland was No. 6 seed. Malone entered the tournament at No. 7 and beat No. 2 Kentucky Wesleyan College Panthers 72-62 on Tuesday.

“I thought we moved the ball well and we were moving and cutting great on offense in the first half,” senior Joe Reuter said after the win over Ashland. “It allowed us to build our lead, and combined with our defense, I thought we executed enough to put ourselves in a good position going down the stretch. We were passing, cutting, sharing the ball and that was what allowed us to have success.”

Junior Nathan Rastovac attended the game and said it was a good competition, and that the attendees seemed to appreciate this exciting game. 504 people attended the game.

“The atmosphere of the stadium was electric,” Rastovac said. “Every time the fans and students would get loud, our team would have great momentum. They seemed to play to the crowd’s energy and took the lead and never let it go.”

Earlier in the week, they beat the Malone University Pioneers 61-49 away on March 1 and the Thomas More University Saints 70-65 at home on Feb. 27. 

On Saturday, against the Pioneers, the Chargers took the lead early in the game and, though Malone did tie them three times, the Pioneers never surpassed the Chargers. This win secured the Chargers’ hopes to host their G-MAC quarterfinal game. 

Reuter and redshirt senior Eric Radisevic scored 13 points each, and Woodhams scored 12 points.

Reuter said the team played well both offensively and defensively, and that the team’s communication played a large part to their success on the court. 

“I thought that our defense and how we played as a team defensively was  a catalyst in that win,” Reuter said. “I mean, they are obviously a very good, individually talented team, and we held them to 49 points on their home floor, which is very, very impressive on our part.”

Last Thursday, the Chargers held the lead throughout the game against the Saints. 

Reuter said the Chargers scored early in the game, but their shooting game began to slow down later in the game, while the Saints’ started to make their shots. 

“In the second half, I think they made it a four point game going into the last media time out, and we came out, and I think we scored on our next two possessions, and that really gave us confidence going down the stretch to be able to handle their runs,” Reuter said. “I thought we executed really well down the stretch. That was why we were able to come away with a win.”

Looking ahead to their semifinal game, and the Chargers’ rematch against the Pioneers, McWhinne said that the team is going into this game focused.

If the Chargers beat the Pioneers, they will play in the championship game on Saturday at 3 pm. 

“We’re going to have to battle against their guards and defend the 3-point line if we want to play on Saturday,” McWhinnie said. “The familiarity is nice with scouting, but we understand that just because we beat them last week won’t give us any bonus points on Friday. We’ll have to come out and give another great effort to advance.”

The winner of the G-MAC tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA DII tournament.