Cedarville rallies from 21-point deficit but falls short in NCAA Division II tournament debut

Both teams struggled from 3-point range, shooting 25%, but Hillsdale shot 46.3% overall from the field and Cedarville shot 35.5%.

Cedarville trailed 39-24 at halftime and faced a 45-24 deficit early in the second half. It then scored 13 straight points to cut the deficit to 45-37 with 12 minutes to play.

With 6:36 to play, a 3-pointer by Branden Maughmer trimmed the Hillsdale lead to 56-54. He missed a 3-pointer on the next possession that would have given the Yellow Jackets the lead.’

Then with 5:20 to play, Conner TenHove had a chance to tie the game at the free-throw line. He made 1 of 2. Cedarville trailed 56-55.

Hillsdale scored the next four points. Then a basket by Branden Maughmer made it a one-possession game with 3:20 to play, but Cedarville could get no closer.

The Yellow Jackets finished the season 19-13. This was their fourth game against Hillsdale, a fellow Great Midwest Athletic Conference team. Hillsdale won three of the four games. Hillsdale will play Ferris State or Findlay in the second round Saturday.