A 31-point third quarter explosion proved to be the difference in the Hillsdale College women's basketball team heading into the new calendar year with a big win.
The Chargers set a season-high in scoring to defeat Saginaw Valley State University 97-67 Sunday afternoon at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. The win, Hillsdale's third in a row, makes the team 6-6 on the season.
A four-minute scoring drought in the second quarter was part of an 11-0 SVSU run that took an 11-point game down to a tie, 37-37, late in the second quarter. Hillsdale clung to a one-point lead at halftime, but the third quarter saw a focused and Hillsdale squad coming out of the locker room.
The penetration of senior guard Allie Dewire was a big difference early on in the third. She scored 8 of her game-high 23 points in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the quarter to help restore Hillsdale's double-digit lead. The team never looked back from there, doing an excellent job on the boards and in one-on-one defense to build its lead throughout the second half.
Hillsdale outscored SVSU 31-14 in the third quarter to break open what was a tight game at halftime. The Chargers shot 11-for-18 (61 percent) in the third quarter.
Dewire shot 9-for-17 from the floor and hit all five of her free throws. She also picked up 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in a terrific performance.
Junior Sydney Anderson played her best game of the season, scoring 13 points in 14 minutes, but also playing tough defense with lots of activity on the boards. She had 3 rebounds and 2 assists and was a difference-maker in the second half.
Senior Makenna Ott added 13 points and 8 rebounds and senior Brittany Gray had 8 points, 3 steals and a team-high 11 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jaycie Burger had 10 points, 5 rebounds and a pair of assists, while freshman Lauren Daffenberg was the fifth player to hit double digits in scoring with 11 in 18 minutes.
PHOTO: Todd Lancaster