Sharpshooters!

Sharpshooters!

Box Score

Never in the 40-plus year history of Hillsdale College women's basketball has a team had the kind of outside shooting night the Chargers had Thursday.

For the third time in less than two years, the team broke the single-game school record for made 3-pointers, draining 20 in a 91-72 win over Trevecca Nazarene University at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.

The win, Hillsdale's eighth in a row, improves the team to 16-11 overall and 14-7 in conference play. This is the Chargers' longest winning streak in 10 years.

Two elements have stood out during that winning streak and both were on display in this win. First of all, the shooting. Seven different players made threes, but more impressive, four made three or more, leaving the Trojans frustrated at how to scramble their defense.

Rebounding has been the other improved element of the team's game, and despite dead-eye shooting, the Chargers still outrebounded the Trojans 36-34. Tough to do when you shoot 20-for-32 from 3-point land.

Freshman Lauren Daffenberg was dazzling, going 5-for-6 from beyond the arc to finish with 21 points in just 16 minutes of action. She hit shots from all angles and needed veyr little space to get her shot off. 

Sophomore guard Jaycie Burger set a new career-high in scoring with 17 points, going an efficient 5-for-7 from the floor and 4-for-5 from 3-point territory. She drew a foul in the final second of the third quarter and sank all three free throws to push Hillsdale's lead from 13 to 16 entering the fourth quarter. 

Senior forward Makenna Ott also drained four 3-pointers and had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in another excellent all-around game. Freshman Grace Touchette came off the bench to hit three from downtown and finished with 10.

After a low-scoring first quarter that saw the teams tied at 10, the Chargers' offense went off, scoring 24, 29 and 28 points over the final three quarters. This was the second time this season Hillsdale has eclipsed the 90-point mark.

PHOTO: MaryKate Drews