One week ago, the Charger women's basketball team recorded its biggest win of the season by defeating Cedarville University.
Time to update that "biggest win of the season" label.
Hillsdale treated its biggest home crowd of the season to an absolute show in an 88-67 win over the University of Findlay Saturday afternoon at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. The victory, Hillsdale's third in a row, makes the team 11-11 overall and 9-7 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
The Chargers put on a dazzling display of outside shooting, with nine different players hitting 3-point shots in the victory. The team went 15-for-29 from beyond the 3-point line, second-most made threes in a game this season and third most in a game in school history.
Much of that shooting came in the second quarter when Hillsdale outscored Findlay 27-14 to run out to a 46-31 lead at halftime. The Chargers made 11 first-half threes, with three of them coming off the right arm of senior Brittany Gray.
Gray finished 4-for-5 on 3-point baskets and led a balanced offensive attack with 17 points and 9 rebounds in the win.
Findlay sliced into the Chargers' lead with an effective third quarter. The Oilers were quicker on defense and forced Hillsdale into shot attempts that were of a higher degree of difficulty. Hillsdale led by 9, 60-51, to start the fourth quarter, but the team began humming again on offense to start the fourth.
Hillsdale went on a 16-5 run across the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to break this one wide open. After a missed shot on its first possession, the Chargers would score points on their next nine straight possessions.
Senior forward Makenna Ott was powerful in the paint, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds to go along with 4 assists and 2 steals. Her 13 boards are a season-high.
Freshman Lauren Daffenberg added 14 points off the bench, going 4-for-6 from the field, and senior guard Allie Dewire tallied 16 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals for Hillsdale.
PHOTO: MaryKate Drews