A slow start to Monday's road contest at Lake Erie left the Hillsdale College women's basketball team trailing at the half and staring down the prospect of a sixth straight loss to open the 2020-21 season.
But the Chargers were determined to write a different script against the Storm, stepping up their play at both ends of the floor to seize the lead in the second half and roll to a 76-66 victory.
Four Chargers finished in double figures as Hillsdale shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and 36 percent from 3-point range, pulling away after the break.
Sophomore center Arianna Sysum led Hillsdale's efforts offensively with the best game of her young career. For the third time this season, Sysum set a new career high in points, scoring 22 to help the Chargers overcome a 13-point first quarter deficit and take the lead for good in the third quarter.
Then, with Lake Erie threatening to make a run in the fourth quarter, junior guard Grace Touchette shut the door on the Storm, scoring eight of her 19 points in the first three minutes of the period to push Hillsdale's lead to 65-52 with just under seven minutes to play.
Sysum added five rebounds and three assists for the Chargers, and Touchette chipped in five rebounds and two assists. Senior Jaycie Burger made major contributions as well for Hillsdale, knocking down four 3-pointers and finishing with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Hillsdale's bench also played an important role in the victory. Junior Lauren Daffenberg had a great night as a substitute for Hillsdale, knocking down three 3-pointers and finishing with 10 points, and junior Anna LoMonaco finished with six points and 10 rebounds as well.
Freshman Dani Salenbien made her first start for the Chargers in the win and was an effective distributor, dishing out six assists to go with four rebounds.
Key to the Chargers' comeback was better ball security in the second half. Hillsdale turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, seven in the first quarter alone, but just five times after the break, cutting off Lake Erie's transition offense and creating more scoring opportunities. The Chargers also outrebounded the Storm, 40-32, in the victory.
The victory snaps a 10-game losing streak for the Chargers dating back to last season. Hillsdale (1-5, 1-5 G-MAC) will look to take the positive momentum from this matchup into its next contest at home on Friday, in a rematch against Walsh (3-2, 3-2 G-MAC). The Chargers lost 92-57 to the Cavaliers on the road on Dec. 12, but catch Walsh on a two-game losing streak heading into the Jan. 8 matchup.
Photo: Grace Touchette. Photo by Gwen Buchhop.