The Charger women's basketball team scored just six fourth-quarter points, and let a big lead slip away in a frustrating home loss to Saginaw Valley State University Monday night.
The Cardinals outscored Hillsdale 20-6 in the fourth quarter of a 76-74 victory for SVSU, leaving the Chargers at 9-10 overall and 6-9 in conference play.
For much of the game, Hillsdale looked impressive, playing with patience and a high level of execution on offense. Some of the final statistics bared that out as well. The Chargers had 21 assists on 27 made field goals, shot 47 percent from 3-point land, and held SVSU to 2-for-16 shooting from beyond the arc.
Hillsdale held a 68-56 lead entering the final quarter. But the Chargers were unable to rediscover the nice offensive rhythm it had throughout the first three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Hillsdale shot 2-for-12 from the floor and committed 11 turnovers, allowing the Cardinals back into the game. On the other side, SVSU missed its first 13 3-point attempts from the floor, but made back-to-back threes that cut the Charger lead to one with 1:28 to play. Two possessions later, a Cardinal layup gave the visitors their first lead of the game.
The loss spoiled a strong effort from freshman forward Makenna Ott, who led the Chargers with 17 points in 23 minutes. That point total was one short of her career-high. Center Allie Dittmer had her third straight game of double figure scoring with 11 points, while freshman Brittany Gray added 10 points in 13 minutes off the bench. Freshman Allie Dewire set a career-high with 4 assists with 7 points, and senior Kelsey Cromer scored 9 points, draining a pair of 3-pointers.
UP NEXT: Hillsdale heads north to face Northwood University at 6 p.m. Thursday in Midland.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kadie Lowery