The Hillsdale College women's basketball team hung tough with visiting Tiffin on Saturday, trailing by just four at the half.
But the Chargers couldn't find their shooting touch offensively at any point in the contest, and couldn't keep pace in the second half as the Dragons pulled away for a 70-56 victory.
Hillsdale shot just 28.6 percent from the floor and 9.1 percent from 3-point range in the defeat, including a 1 for 13 mark from the field in the third quarter where Tiffin established its lead.
The shooting struggles overshadowed big nights for Hillsdale's post players. Junior center Anna LoMonaco led the Chargers with a career-high 15 points off the bench, as well as six rebounds, and sophomore forward Sydney Mills picked up her second-straight double-double and her third of the season with a 13 point, 12 rebound night.
Key for both LoMonaco and Mills was drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line. LoMonaco was 7 of 10 from the charity stripe, and Mills finished a perfect 5 for 5 on the night. As a team, the Chargers were 22 of 29 from the foul line, helping Hillsdale remain competitive for large stretches of the game where their shots weren't falling.
The Chargers' best run came just before the half, where Hillsdale outscored the Dragons 8-0 in the closing minutes, punctuated by a Grace Touchette 3-pointer at the buzzer, to cut a 12-point Tiffin lead to four at the break.
But Hillsdale couldn't build on that momentum in the third quarter, as the Dragons outscored the Chargers 17-9 to pull away for good.
Touchette finished with nine points and three assists, and freshman Dani Salenbien chipped in eight points, two rebounds, two assists and three blocks as well for the Chargers on the night.
Hillsdale (1-8, 1-8 G-MAC) makes the long road trip to Nashville next week looking to get back on track against Trevecca Nazarene. The Trojans have yet to begin their season at this point due to Covid-19 issues, and are scheduled to play Cedarville on Tuesday before hosting the Chargers on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Photo: Anna LoMonaco (24). Photo by Camryn Olson.
