It's been a strange start to the season for the Hillsdale College women's basketball team, which has had three games postponed and played two opponents it wasn't scheduled to face until 2021 in just the first 10 days.
The changes haven't stopped, and the challenges continue to grow for the Chargers as they head into this weekend. Instead of facing Lake Erie on Saturday as originally planned, Hillsdale now travels to Walsh for a 1 p.m. tip against the two-time defending Great Midwest Athletic Conference champions in a game that was originally scheduled for Feb. 13.
While the task ahead is tough, the Chargers have played well through the changing circumstances so far, giving tough games to two G-MAC squads picked to finish in the top five in the league in Malone and Findlay in their first two outings. Hillsdale also has a history of giving elite Walsh teams a difficult challenge. In their last two games against Cavaliers teams that went on to win G-MAC titles, the Chargers have lost by a combined three points and have had multiple chances to win in the final minute of the game.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Walsh is unable to allow spectators to attend Saturday's contest. Fans can follow along at home by watching the live stream on the Great Midwest Digital Network at the link below.
Schedule
Hillsdale (0-2, 0-2 G-MAC vs Walsh (1-0, 1-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 | Cecchini Center | North Canton, OH
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Walsh | Webcast vs Walsh
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Walsh Roster | 2020-21 Hillsdale Stats | 2020-21 Walsh Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #21 Lauren Daffenberg, Jr., G, Yorkville, IL/Yorkville (17.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg); #22 Grace Touchette, Jr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (13.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 7 apg); #3 Jaycie Burger, Sr., G, Pittsford, MI/Pittsford (12 ppg, 5 rpg, 6 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, So., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (9 ppg, 18.5 rpg); #24 Anna LoMonaco, Jr., F, Caledonia, MI/Caledonia (9 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
Walsh: #20 Sha Carter, Jr., G/F, Southfield, MI/Birmingham Groves (28 ppg, 9 rpg); #15 Lexie Scarton, Jr., G, Middleburg Heights, OH/Berea Midpark (14 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg); #22 Mayci Sayles, Sr., F, Massillon, OH/Tuslaw (10 ppg, 9 rpg, 4 apg, 3 bpg); #24 Megan Ball, Jr. G/F, Waterford, OH/Waterford (5 ppg); #10 Kimmie Borck, Sr., G, Massillon, OH/Perry (2 ppg, 7 rpg, 7 apg, 4 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
With four starters back from last year's G-MAC Championship-winning squad, including reigning G-MAC Player of the Year Quinoche "Sha" Carter, there's no doubt the Cavaliers are the favorite to bring home the conference title once again.
A dominant 92-59 win over Ursuline to open the season last Saturday did nothing to lessen that expectation. Carter had a dominant performance with 28 points and nine rebounds, and she got plenty of support from the rest of the Cavaliers' starters to put the game away early.
Walsh boasts an athletic starting five, with every player on the floor 5-foot-9 or taller, including three over 5-11, and Carter is a matchup nightmare for opponents, with too much size for smaller guards and too much quickness for players her own height.
The Cavaliers also have a deep bench that's been bolstered by the addition of Division I transfer Morgan McMillen, who played in 31 games for Bowling Green last year and scored 14 in the win over Ursuline.
Walsh is coached by Kate Bruce, in her fifth season with the Cavaliers, with an 89-31 record. Under Bruce's guidance, Walsh has won back-to-back G-MAC titles, set and reset the program record for wins in a season, and become a fixture in the Division II Women's Top 25 polls.
Scouting Hillsdale
In two games so far this season under new head coach Charlie Averkamp, the Chargers have shown that they're capable of competing with some of the top teams in the G-MAC and holding their own. Playing against two teams, Findlay and Malone, that finished in the top five in the conference last season and were picked to do so again, Hillsdale had a chance to win deep into the fourth quarter in both contests.
After earning second team All-G-MAC honors in 2019-20, junior guard Lauren Daffenberg has picked up where she left off, averaging 17.5 points and 4.5 made 3-pointers a game. Sophomore post Sydney Mills has been a force on the boards as well for the Chargers, leading the G-MAC with 18.5 rebounds per game so far, and guards Grace Touchette and Jaycie Burger are both in the top five in the conference in assists.
The Chargers' center rotation of Anna LoMonaco and Arianna Sysum also has been effective so far, with the pair combining to average 19.5 points per game in the two contests to date.
The new challenge for Hillsdale is to turn those competitive outings into victories. The Chargers have struggled defensively so far, giving up 86 points per game, currently next-to-last in the G-MAC, and are also next to last in turnover margin. If Hillsdale can continue to improve defensively and take better care of the ball, they'll be a dangerous opponent for any G-MAC team to face.
Other Notes
Walsh leads the all-time series with Hillsdale 8-7, but the Cavaliers have won eight of the last nine meetings and four straight. The two most recent wins over Hillsdale, however, were both close, with Walsh winning a 72-70 nailbiter in the G-MAC tournament semifinals on March 8, 2019 and a last-second 70-69 victory over the Chargers at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena on Jan. 30, 2020…Lauren Daffenberg hit four 3-pointers in Saturday's loss to Malone to move past Lea Jones (2009-13) for ninth on the Chargers' career 3-pointers made list. Daffenberg has 129 now, and needs seven 3-pointers to pass Liz Cibor (1998-02) for eighth all time…senior Jaycie Burger is also closing in on the top 10 list for career made 3-pointers. Burger (113 career 3-pointers) needs 16 3-pointers to surpass Jones and move into 10th all time…while starting 0-2 isn't ideal, it's not the end of the world for the Chargers. In 2018-19, Hillsdale opened the season 0-4, and still finished with a winning record and a G-MAC tournament semifinal appearance.