Much like Thursday's contest at Findlay, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team was facing an unexpected opponent on short notice in its home opener against Malone on Saturday.
And in many ways, both fortunate and unfortunate for the Chargers, the game with the Pioneers mirrored the game with the Oilers.
Just as it did in its loss to Findlay, Hillsdale got great balance offensively, with five players in double figures on the night, and battled hard with a top-five team in the league in the preseason polls. Deep into the fourth quarter, the Chargers still had a chance to pull the upset, trailing by just three with 37 seconds to play.
But also like the loss to the Oilers, Hillsdale struggled to lock down the opponent's star player, as Malone senior Holly Groff went 5 of 7 from 3-point range and scored 27 points to lift Malone to an 84-76 victory. Also, once again, miscues down the stretch proved costly for the Chargers in the closing minutes as Hillsdale committed five turnovers in the last four minutes. Those empty possessions were enough to allow Malone to build a comfortable enough margin to hold on.
The Chargers were close throughout the game, trailing by just three points at the half. Malone stayed out in front for most of the second half, leading by as many as 11, but the Chargers staged a late rally and cut the Pioneers' lead to 79-76 with 37 seconds to play on a three-pointer by junior Lauren Daffenberg. That shot gave Hillsdale hope in the closing seconds, but it was as close as the Chargers would get, as Malone's Lexi Manos hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to play to put the game out of reach. Two late free throws by the Pioneers would seal the deal.
Hillsdale's guard trio led the way for the Chargers, as junior Grace Touchette knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 17 points, as well as five rebounds and five assists. Daffenberg knocked down four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points as well for Hillsdale, and senior Jaycie Burger was a scorching 80 percent from behind the arc, knocking down four 3-pointers to finish with 14 points, as well as six rebounds and six assists.
Fresh off pulling down a career-high 21 rebounds against Findlay on Thursday, sophomore Sydney Mills had another huge night on the glass down low for the Chargers against the Pioneers, grabbing 16 rebounds and chipping in 10 points as well. Fellow sophomore post Arianna Sysum has another solid game as well for Hillsdale in extended action off the bench, scoring 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the floor, and junior Anna LoMonaco chipped in six points and five rebounds.
Hillsdale (0-2, 0-2 G-MAC) will look to build off of the positives from a wild first week that saw the Chargers get two games in like they were expecting to, but against two different opponents than planned. Next week should be a busy one for Hillsdale as well, as the Chargers travel to Ohio Dominican (1-1, 1-1 G-MAC) on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. tip and then head to Canton, Ohio on Saturday to play the defending G-MAC champion Walsh Cavaliers, who've yet to play a game this season after several postponements of their own.
Photo: Sydney Mills (5) by Camryn Olson.
