A four-point second quarter turned out to be fatal for the Charger women's basketball team.
Hillsdale College suffered its first loss of the season, 69-61, to former conference rival Mercyhurst, Saturday afternoon in Rensselaer, Indiana. The Chargers are 3-1 overall and will open GLIAC play Thursday at home against Tiffin.
The Lakers (3-4) outscored the Chargers 16-4 in the second quarter, turning a three-point deficit into a nine-point halftime lead. In that quarter, Hillsdale shot 2-for-12 from the floor and committed eight turnovers, helping Mercyhurst grab control of the game.
Although Hillsdale got back on track offensively in the third quarter – registering another 20-point quarter – the Lakers managed to build on their lead, and were able to hang on throughout the fourth.
Hillsdale outrebounded Mercyhurst 28-26, but shot just 20 percent from 3-point territory (3-for-15) while shooting 37 percent from the field overall for the game.
Senior Kelsey Cromer scored 8 of her points in the first half, also grabbing 6 rebounds in 13 minutes of action. She went 2-for-3 from 3-point land in the loss.
Sophomore center Allie Dittmer was 5-for-6 from the field and had 10 points, while senior Kayla Geffert added 9 points. Sophomore guard Michele Boykin set a career-high with 5 assists, and junior guard Becca Scherting had 7 points and 4 assists.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jim Drews