Free from the burden of taking final exams, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team got back to its winning ways in impressive fashion Sunday afternoon.
The Chargers held visiting Lake Erie College to only one two-point field goal in the entire second half, pulling away for a 73-49 win at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. Hillsdale is now 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the GLIAC, and next heads to Ashland to participate in a two-day holiday tournament next weekend.
The Chargers put some serious clamps on the Storm in that second half, limiting Lake Erie to 18 percent shooting from the field, 15 total points, and just four made field goals overall. Three of Lake Erie's four made field goals came from behind the 3-point arc.
Hillsdale led by three at halftime, but broke the game open by outscoring the Storm 36-15 in the second half. The Storm didn't make a field goal in the first 10:21 of the second half, during which the Chargers extended their lead from 37-34 to 51-37.
The Chargers also dominated the boards, outrebounding the Storm 45-28, grabbing an impressive 15 offensive rebounds. In the scoring column, Hillsdale got some of the best balance it's ever had, with 14 different players scoring points. Leading the way was a veteran shooter who seems to lift the team up when she's hitting her shots.
Senior guard Kadie Lowery led the Chargers with 16 points, going 4-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc. All of her makes seemed to come at key times, and her shooting opens up the floor for the rest of the players to do their work. Lowery was 6-for-11 from the field in the contest.
Senior Megan Fogt played a tough game inside with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 more blocked shots. The Lake Erie defense limited her to just six field goal attempts, but Fogt made five free throws, and did a nice job of not forcing things against a collapsing defense.
Freshman Allie Dittmer had 9 points and 6 rebounds off the bench, while sophomore Morgan Blair and junior Sarah Theut each scored 5. Freshman Jessica De Gree scored her first collegiate points, collecting 3 in the win.
As a team, the Charger offense was very efficient in the game, not only with its balanced scoring, but by generating 23 assists on 26 made field goals. Junior Ashlyn Landherr led the way with 6 assists, and Blair and Lowery picking up 4 apiece.
Photo by Anders Kiledal