Facing an elite opponent on the road on Saturday, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team needed an excellent start to set a competitive tone.
Unfortunately, that's not what happened for the Chargers, as early struggles at both ends of the floor allowed host Walsh to jump out to an early 31-11 lead and never look back in a 92-57 Hillsdale loss to the Cavaliers on Saturday.
The defending Great Midwest Athletic Conference champions gave Hillsdale trouble defensively in the first quarter, using their length and quickness to harass the Chargers into seven turnovers and sub-25% shooting in the opening period. The Cavaliers converted those turnovers and defensive rebounds into fast break opportunities, and built a double-digit advantage before the first media timeout.
Hillsdale continued to battle the rest of the way, outscoring Walsh 14-6 in the final five minutes of the second quarter to keep the Cavaliers from pulling away further, but the Chargers couldn't string together enough stops defensively in the second half to cut into the commanding lead Walsh established early on in the game.
Junior Lauren Daffenberg led a balanced offensive attack for Hillsdale with 12 points and five rebounds on the day, and senior Jaycie Burger and junior Grace Touchette each chipped in 10 points.
Sophomore Sydney Mills, who entered Saturday as the G-MAC leader in rebounds per game, continued her strong start on the boards with 15 rebounds against the Cavaliers to go with six points.
Arianna Sysum added nine points and five rebounds off the bench for the Chargers, and Maverick Delp added six points and three rebounds as well.
Hillsdale (0-3, 0-3 G-MAC) continues to face a tough road going forward, with another G-MAC title contender in Kentucky Wesleyan up next on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at home.
Photo: Arianna Sysum. Photo by Camryn Olson.