A strong start and a solid first three quarters gave the Hillsdale College women's basketball team a chance to pull a big road upset at G-MAC title contender Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday.
But in the end the Chargers couldn't slow down a red-hot Panther offense, as Kentucky Wesleyan outscored Hillsdale 30-17 in the final quarter to hand the Chargers a 97-73 loss.
Hillsdale trailed 6-0 early in the contest but battled back to tie the game at 16 at the end of the first quarter, as junior Anna LoMonaco ended the period with six straight points off the bench to get the Chargers back to even.
Despite giving up 26 second quarter points and 25 third quarter points, Hillsdale managed to stay withing striking distance thanks to a solid night shooting from distance. The Chargers shot 13-of-29 on 3-pointers, matching their season high from beyond the arc, and trailed by 11 with 7:41 to play, before a 10-0 run by the Panthers that included back-to-back 3-pointers of their own put the game away.
Hillsdale got balanced scoring on the night from its squad, led by Grace Touchette, who went 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points, five assists and three steals.
Sophomore forward Sydney Mills also continued her recent run of strong play with her fifth-straight double-figure scoring game, finishing with 16 points, including three 3-pointers, eight rebounds and three assists.
The Chargers also got big contributions off the bench from LoMonaco, who scored 15 points to tie her career high and added seven rebounds, and Lauren Daffenberg, who hit three 3-pointer and finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Senior Jaycie Burger added seven points, three rebounds and three assists for the Chargers, who fall to 2-9 overall and 2-9 in the G-MAC with the loss.
Hillsdale now turns its focus to a loaded home weekend next week that comes laden with opportunity. The Chargers open with Lake Erie, who Hillsdale beat 76-66 in a road contest on Jan. 4, and also get a rematch with Trevecca Nazarene on Sunday, Jan. 31, just 10 days after Hillsdale's 84-68 victory on the road on Jan. 21.
Sandwiched in between those games is a home contest against one of the top teams in the G-MAC standings, Ohio Dominican, on Saturday, Jan. 30. If the Chargers can defend their home court, they could get right back in the thick of the race to be one of the eight teams to qualify for the end of season G-MAC tournament.
Photo by Camryn Olson