PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- The Lake Erie men's basketball team took on the Hillsdale Chargers on Thursday night, winning in dominant fashion by a score of 91-73. A massive run in the first half put the Storm up 23 points, and after both teams traded buckets in the second half, Lake Erie earned a huge win after falling to this same team in double overtime earlier this season.
The 91 points mark the most that Hillsdale has allowed in regulation in 10 years. All the way back in 2015-16, Walsh put up 98.
With the victory, Lake Erie moves to 16-7 overall and 10-5 against G-MAC opponents, further solidifying their position in second place behind Walsh. With Ashland falling 74-62 to 5-10 Cedarville, it was a wonderful day to be a Storm fan.
Game Recap
After five minutes of play, the score stood at 12-10 Lake Erie, but to the delight of the home crowd, the Storm rattled off 12 straight points, putting their stamp on the game early. After the last matchup went to double overtime and was incredibly heated throughout, this scoring barrage, fueled by second-unit three-point shooting, was exactly what Coach Conley was hoping for.
The Storm kept their foot on the gas offensively against a stout Hillsdale defense. On the other end, though, the physical edge Lake Erie played with resulted in several Charger trips to the free throw line, as the visitors kept things within reach by attempting 17 first-half free throws. When the dust settled and the halftime buzzer sounded, the Storm led 50-31, easily the most Hillsdale had surrendered in an opening half this season.
After pushing the lead to 63-42 with 15 minutes remaining, Hillsdale made it interesting with an 8-0 burst, but a quick 10-0 run from Lake Erie shut that down in a hurry. The Chargers continued to hang around, but the Storm were not letting this one slip away. Ultimately, Lake Erie secured a statement win in one of their final home games of the season.
Analysis
Hillsdale has consistently been one of the best defensive teams in the conference. Since entering the G-MAC in 2017-18, the Chargers have finished as a top-two defense in points allowed per game every single season. This year, thanks in part to 86- and 91-point outings from the Storm, the Chargers now sit sixth in the conference, allowing 71.9 points per game.
Scoring 91 in regulation against this opponent is no small feat. It has been a decade since anyone reached that mark.
Lake Erie was reeling and dealing all night, as their 29 assists mark their highest total against a conference opponent this season. Pair that with just nine turnovers, and the Storm's 3.22 assist-to-turnover ratio also stands as their best against G-MAC competition.
Hillsdale once again struggled with ball security in this matchup. In the prior meeting, the Chargers turned it over 23 times, tied for their highest total since opening night in 2009-10. On Thursday, the Storm applied similar pressure, forcing 22 more turnovers.
Amari Williams tied a season-high with eight assists while committing just one turnover, adding 17 points in the process. Gavin Welch led the way in the scoring column with 21 points, knocking down seven of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc. Jake Leibacher continues to lead the team in rebounding despite coming off the bench and standing at 6'2, grabbing seven boards, including three on the offensive glass.
Looking Ahead
With five regular-season games remaining, the Storm will hit the road for four straight before returning to the Jerome T. Osborne Center for the finale and Senior Day on Saturday, February 28 against ODU.
Up first is Tiffin, followed by trips to Thomas More, Malone, and Cedarville, all of whom hold losing records in conference play.
Since falling 79-59 to the Storm in early January, Tiffin has gone 2-9 in G-MAC action. In that earlier matchup, Lake Erie forced 22 turnovers while holding the Dragons to their lowest point total of the season at the time.
That type of performance is typical for Tiffin, as they average the fewest points in the G-MAC at 62.6 per game. However, their slow tempo also limits opponents to 68.5 points per contest, the third-fewest in the conference. Still, their -5.9 scoring margin is the worst in the G-MAC, with Hillsdale next at -0.9.
In the first meeting this season, five Storm players reached double figures, led by Amari Williams with 17 points. Trace Bishko added 12 points on four made threes in just 16 minutes.
A major factor in the Dragons' offensive struggles is their three-point shooting. They attempt the fewest threes per game in the conference and connect at just 27.0 percent, the lowest mark in the G-MAC since the 2022-23 season, when both Trevecca Nazarene and Northwood shot in the 26 percent range.
The struggles extend to the free throw line. While Tiffin gets to the stripe at a high rate, they convert at just 65.5 percent, the second-lowest percentage in the conference.
They are also the worst offensive rebounding team in the G-MAC, averaging just 7.5 per contest, nearly half of Lake Erie's total. Additionally, their 0.76 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks last in the conference.
Where the Dragons make their mark is rim protection. Their 112 blocks lead the conference by a wide margin, with the next closest team, Findlay, sitting at 73. Demar Burton, a 6'8 guard, leads the league with 36 blocks, and Tiffin places two more players in the top seven, as Jonah Nesmith has 22 and Ethan Damerum has 21.
