After picking up their first win of the season on Monday, beating Lake Erie on the road, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team gets another shot at the defending G-MAC champions this weekend.
The Chargers host Walsh, who have won back-to-back conference titles, on Friday, Jan. 8 in their only game this week after a Sunday road contest against Ohio Valley was postponed. That game will be made up at a later date to be determined.
Hillsdale lost 92-57 to Walsh on Dec. 12 on the road in their third game of the season, but have more experience under their belt since then, and are hoping the more familar confines of Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena and the momentum of their first victory of the season will help them be more competitive in the rematch.
In order to comply with current Michigan Department of Health and Human Services mandates, spectators will not be allowed at Friday's contest against Walsh. Fans who want to follow along with the action can do so online via the Great Midwest Digital Network. A webcast for Friday's game is linked below.
Schedule
Walsh (3-2, 3-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (1-5, 1-5 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
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: #2 Dani Salenbien, Fr., G, Adrian, MI/Lenawee Christian (4.5 ppg, 2.7 apg); #22 Grace Touchette, Jr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (15.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.7 apg); #3 Jaycie Burger, Sr., G, Pittsford, MI/Pittsford (12.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.5 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, So., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (7.3 ppg, 12.3 rpg); #15 Arianna Sysum, So., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (12.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
Walsh: #20 Sha Carter, Jr., G/F, Southfield, MI/Birmingham Groves (20.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 2.2 spg); #15 Lexie Scarton, Jr., G, Middleburg Heights, OH/Berea Midpark (8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4 apg); #22 Mayci Sayles, Sr., F, Massillon, OH/Tuslaw (17.2 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.2 bpg); #24 Megan Ball, Jr. G/F, Waterford, OH/Waterford (11 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 spg); #10 Kimmie Borck, Sr., G, Massillon, OH/Perry (7.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.8 apg)
Scouting the Opposition
Walsh: Expectations were high entering the 2020-21 season for the two-time defending G-MAC champions, and Walsh lived up to those expectations early on, blowing out three conference foes, including a 92-57 win over Hillsdale on Dec. 12 in North Canton.
The Cavaliers have gone 0-2 over the last two games, however, with their vaunted defense struggling in a 90-71 loss to current G-MAC leader Cedarville on Dec. 19.
While Walsh has hit a rough patch, they are still one of the top teams in the league and arguably one of the most talented squads in the Midwest, led by defending G-MAC player of the year Quinoche "Sha" Carter and double-double machine Mayci Sayles.
Three-point shooting and defense could hold the key for Walsh on Friday night. The Cavaliers shot 34.7 percent from deep and held opponents to just 18 percent on 3-pointers in their three wins, but shot just 26.8 percent from beyond the arc and let opponents hit 54.4 percent of their 3-pointers in their two defeats.
Walsh is coached by Kate Bruce, entering 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
The Chargers enter Friday's game on a high note, having finally broken through and gotten the win they were looking for in a 76-66 road victory over Lake Erie this past Monday.
It's no accident that Hillsdale's first victory came in a game where they turned the ball over just five times in the second half and had their best defensive effort of the season. Both had been serious issues for the Chargers in their 0-5 start, and Hillsdale showed on Monday what they're capable of when they take care of business in those areas.
Guards Grace Touchette and Jaycie Burger have been consistent contributors all season for Hillsdale, and forward Arianna Sysum has been rapidly improving since moving into the starting lineup early in the year. Sysum scored a career-high 22 points in the Chargers' win over Lake Erie.
Sydney Mills, meanwhile is one of the nation's best rebounders and a key cog in the Charger attack at both ends of the floor. Lauren Daffenberg has had an up-and-down start to the season but the junior showed once again what a weapon she is from beyond the arc against Lake Erie, hitting three of her five 3-point attempts to give the Chargers a big lift off the bench.
Freshman Dani Salenbien didn't score in her first game as a starter at Lake Erie, but was an effective facilitator for her teammates, finishing with six assists and four rebounds.
Other Notes: Walsh leads the all-time series with Hillsdale 9-7, but the Cavaliers have won nine of the last ten meetings and five straight. Hillsdale lost to Walsh on the road on Dec. 12, 92-57, but the two meetings between the Cavaliers and Chargers before that were close, including a 70-69 Walsh win at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena on Jan. 30, 2020…Lauren Daffenberg's three 3-pointers in Monday's win over Lake Erie moved her into a tie for eighth on the Chargers' career 3-pointers made list, matching the 135 put up by Liz Cibor from 1998 to 2002. Mary Wiesen (1999-03) is seventh on the list with 144 career 3-pointers…with four made 3s against Lake Erie, senior Jaycie Burger is also closing in on the top 10 list for career made 3-pointers. Burger (125 career 3-pointers) needs three 3-pointers to surpass Lea Jones's 128 and move into 10th all time…In six games this season, Arianna Sysum has set a new career high in points three times. Her 22 points in the win over Lake Erie ties Grace Touchette's 22 points in the Dec. 31 loss to Ursuline for the most points scored in a single game by a Charger this year.