The Hillsdale College women's basketball team hung tough with G-MAC leader Cedarville for a quarter on the road on Thursday.
But as the hot-shooting Yellow Jackets hit their stride in the second quarter, the Chargers couldn't keep pace offensively, falling behind and ending up on the wrong side of an 83-63 final.
Hillsdale struck first in the contest on a basket by sophomore Sydney Mills, and was close throughout the first quarter, trailing just 16-13 to the heavily-favored Yellow Jackets heading into the second period.
But Cedarville, the G-MAC leader in both 3-pointers made and in 3-point percentage, found its rhythm beyond the arc in the second quarter. The Yellow Jackets hit eight 3-pointers in that period to outscore the Chargers 33-15 and take a 21-point lead into halftime.
Hillsdale made multiple runs in the second half, cutting the deficit to 15 at one point in the 3rd quarter, but Cedarville answered every run with balanced scoring to maintain a double-digit advantage to the final buzzer. With five different Yellow Jacket players in double figures, and eight hitting at least one 3-pointer, the Chargers struggled to string together the stops needed to get back into the game.
Mills had a strong night for the Chargers in the loss, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds in her second double-double of the season and the seventh of her career. Junior Grace Touchette also played well, hitting four 3-pointers to finish with 16 points and four rebounds.
Forwards Arianna Sysum and Anna LoMonaco each chipped in nine points and three rebounds for the Chargers, and freshman Dani Salenbien added seven points, six rebounds and four assists. Senior Jaycie Burger went scoreless in the contest but had a big impact in other ways for the Chargers, contributing six rebounds and five assists.
Hillsdale (1-7, 1-7 G-MAC) will look to shake this loss against one of the conference's top teams off, and get back on track at home on Saturday with a game against visiting Tiffin at 1 p.m.
Photo by Camryn Olson