Saturday's win by the Hillsdale College women's basketball team was a true team win, as coaches love to say.
The Chargers got a little something from just about everyone in a 74-65 win over Tiffin University in Ohio. The win makes the Chargers 2-5 overall and 1-1 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
Six of Hillsdale's next seven games will be played at home, starting with next Thursday's conference home opener against Walsh.
Early in the third quarter, the Chargers found themselves trailing 45-38 and were having a tough time getting into a consistent offensive flow. Senior guard Allie Dewire helped keep the team afloat during this rough stretch with 9 points in the quarter's first five minutes. And slowly, as Dewire's speed and finishing ability kicked in, other players got into a good flow.
Senior forward Brittany Gray drained three 3-point field goals, and freshman guard Grace Touchette also hit one from downtown as part of a 15-5 run to end the third quarter, which saw Hillsdale graba 53-50 lead. After shooting 37 percent from the floor in the first half, Hillsdale connected on 50 percent of its shots, and was 4-for-8 on 3-pointers, to jump in front.
Touchette played a terriric fourth quarter on her way to finishing with a career-high 20 points. She shot 7-for-12 from the floor and made four free throws down the stretch to keep the Chargers in front.
Dewire, playing just her third full game of the season, was excellent in scoring a season-high 21 points. She consistently got to the basket and did a great job of finishing once she got there. She was 7-for-9 from the floor and had 7 rebounds and 2 assists.
Senior Makenna Ott scored 7 points in a crucial fourth-quarter stretch that saw the Chargers expand their lead. She finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds, hitting 50 percent of her shots from the floor. Sophomore guard Jaycie Burger added 5 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists to the Charger victory.
After scoring just 29 points in the first half, Hillsdale outscored Tiffin 45-30 in the second half.
PHOTO: MaryKate Drews