HC won the jump and immediately looked to dictate the pace of the game. Suffocating the Vikings on the defensive end and playing well within their own half-court sets, the Panthers took an early 7-1 lead after a made three-pointer from senior guard Luke Miller and a contested lay-up by sophomore guard Cam Freeman. Just moments later Luke Miller came away with one of his 6 steals on the night, and was a catalyst for the Panthers exhausting offensive push in the first half.

After both teams put up a couple of empty possessions, senior forward Coleman Sater responded to a Berry two-pointer with a tough bucket in the paint just as the shot clock was about to expire on the possession. This sequence would be the start of our first back-and-forth scoring barrage as Berry came down and hit a three-pointer to answer. Senior guard Luke Miller then got the ball back and his hands and went to work form the mid-range and converting from the top-left of the key. Berry then went 1 for 2 on a pair of free-throw attempts on their next trip down the court, and the score was 11-10 Hanover, with thirteen minutes left to go in the first half.

The Panthers spent the next five minutes going on a 13 to 0 run that included a pair of threes from guards Will Herald and Luke Miller, several offensive rebounds and put-backs, and freshman guard Jack Miller's first career points from a short pull-up jumper inside the paint.

While closing out the half, Hanover continued to hustle on the defensive end, forcing rushed shots and favorable misses leading to defensive boards. In the midst of their stellar defense, HC was also able to capitalize on three straight offensive possessions when sophomore guard CJ Walls scored back-to-back-to-back buckets in the paint, including a beautiful sky-hook high up off the glass. Hanover lead the Vikings going into the halftime break at 41-28.

As the second half got underway both teams were immediately playing at a noticeably slowed pace compared to the first half. Still, both teams came out trading buckets and able to find the looks they wanted within their sets. The Vikings were finally able to get some stops against this Panthers offense that had been rolling all game and eventually cut the Panther lead to just 10. 

Sophomore guard CJ Walls would be the one to stop the bleeding and put an end to the Berry scoring run with another tough contested lay in the paint. Berry was able to put together another two or three minute defensive stand while still producing points, cutting the Hanover lead all the way down to only 5 points. However, it didn't take long before the Panthers were able to build their lead back to double digits, up 59-48 with 10 minutes left in regulation.

Hanover just continued to play the brand of basketball they set out to play from the very beginning - hard-nosed defense and getting the ball inside the paint to expose match-ups. They did just that, and were able to walk away with an 86-72 win in their home season-opener against the Vikings.

Statistical Standouts for the Panthers from tonight's game include:
Coleman Sater - 21 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Blk
Luke Miller - 20 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Stl
CJ Walls - 19 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast

Hanover men's basketball returns to action on the road in Louisville next week on Wednesday November 13th at Spalding University (KY) for a 7:00 PM EST tip-off.