The Hillsdale College women's basketball team threw everything it had to the first-place Walsh University Cavaliers Thursday night.
The Chargers got off to a great start, played tough defense and came up with clutch plays on both ends of the court. And it just wasn't quite enough as the Cavs edged the Chargers 70-69 at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. The loss makes Hillsdale 5-15 overall and 2-9 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, while Walsh moves to 11-0 in the league.
On-target 3-point shooting by Grace Touchette and Lauren Daffenberg helped Hillsdale get out to a 16-4 lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter. But even with the inevitable rally by the Cavs, the Chargers hung onto the lead through a great majority of the game, thanks to timely shot-making and excellent rebounding.
Julia Wacker made two free throws that gave Hillsdale a 69-68 lead with 12.6 seconds to go. A deliberate Walsh possession after the timeout resulted in a rolling, left-handed layup by Alyssa Dean to give the Cavs the lead back with 2.7 seconds to go. One last shot by the Chargers fell short, allowing Walsh to escape with their 11th straight conference win of the season.
The Chargers were terrific on the boards, outrebounding the Cavs 51-37, highlighted by 14 offensive rebounds. Freshman Sydney Mills tied her career-high with 12 rebounds as part of another double-double. Wacker also notched a double-double, to the tune of 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Mills had 11 points and 12 boards, 10 of those rebounds coming in the first half. Touchette led Hillsdale with 19 points, sinking five 3-point baskets. Daffenberg also had 12, giving Hillsdale four players in double figures.
One way Walsh countered Hillsdale's rebounding was in how it took care of the ball. The Cavs turned the ball over just twice compared to 19 turnovers by the Chargers. That helped Walsh take 15 more field goal attempts in the game, which helped it overcome a 35.6 percent shooting night from the floor.
PHOTO: MaryKate Drews