Tyler Horning/Collegian
Freshman Tim Homan lays the ball up in the Charger's 66-57 upset of Gannon University. Homan had 11 points.
After suffering a three-game losing streak during the second week of January, the men's basketball team has come back strong, winning five games in a row.
Last Saturday, two days after defeating Mercyhurst 67-55, the team extended its win streak to four with an impressive 66-57 victory over Gannon to take over third place in the South Division of the GLIAC Conference.
"It was a big, big game," said head coach Ed Douma. "We played great defense and were able to rebound the ball effectively.
“We had some timely baskets, and our big men did a great job of neutralizing their big man."
Hillsdale came out shooting cold from the field, making only six of their first 20 shots.
But the team was able to rally behind sophomore guard Drew Powell during the last 10 minutes of the first half to erase a 12-point deficit and take a one point lead going into halftime.
Powell led the team in almost every category with 13 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals.
The Chargers also received strong play from their centers sophomores John Farr and Chris Skaggs.
Farr added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Skaggs' impact was felt more on the defensive end where he, along with Farr, were able to hold Gannon's leading scorer, Geoff Husted, to only two points in the first half and seven points total for the game.
"We knew he was a challenge," Farr said. "Me and Skaggs just stuck to the game plan and played good hard-nosed defense. We also got some help from our guards because Husted is a good passer, but we were able to keep his assists total down, too."
Last night, the team was able to extend its winning streak with a 71-55 victory over Ashland to take the team to 13-8 overall and 8-3 GLIAC.
"We played very solid defense," Douma said. "We did not shoot the ball as well as we wanted too, but our defense was able to keep them out of it. We finally started to knock down some shots and that extended our lead, and we were able to open up a gap."
Saturday, the team will take its five game win streak into its toughest competition of the year as they face off against the third ranked team in the nation, The University of Findlay.
Hillsdale will travel to Ohio to take the a team that is number one in the GLIAC with an 11-0 record.
"We have got nothing to lose," Douma said. "We need to play with effort and keep up the level of energy on offense and defense. If we can play defense and make some shots, I think we can win."
"I think we can beat anyone in the nation," Farr said.