Facing a team undefeated in conference play for the second time in three days, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team played hard and did a lot of things well, but were unable to come out on top against the first-place Northern Michigan University Wildcats Monday night.
NMU made eight consecutive free throws in the game's final 32 seconds to clinch a 73-67 win over the host Chargers at the Hillsdale College arena. Hillsdale is now off until after the holidays and has a record of 2-6 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
The Chargers played hard and attacked the well-balanced Wildcats, but were unable to match points when they needed them the most. Sophomores Madison Berry and Abbey Lovat combined to score 9 points in the game's final 42 seconds, forcing NMU to earn the victory at the free throw line.
The Wildcats held a 40-31 edge in rebounding and did a good job of guarding Hillsdale without fouling. The Chargers shot just 10 free throws in the game, compared to 26 for Northern Michigan.
Much of the Charger offense was generated by veteran frontcourt starters Angela Bisaro and Megan Fogt. Bisaro turned in another excellent all-around game with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 35 minutes. The most encouraging part of Bisaro's game were her 5 made jump shots, a new addition to her offensive arsenal. Bisaro has long been known to drive to her left for layups, but her reliable jump shot is a welcome new dimension to her game.
Fogt was held without a double-double for just the second time this season, finishing with 17 points and 9 rebounds, both team-highs. She also blocked 4 shots and had 2 steals and 2 assists in her 35 minutes on the floor.
Berry's 13 total points were a career-high. Over her last four games, Berry is averaging nearly 10 points per game, taking full advantage of increased playing time at guard.
Lovat made another nice step forward in her recovery from two leg injuries a season ago with 10 points in 9 minutes. Lovat adds a versatile weapon at both ends of the floor and is another promising sign for this developing team.