The Hillsdale College women's basketball team got off to a strong start offensively Thursday on the road at Malone, jumping out to a 7-0 lead early.
But the Chargers couldn't sustain that momentum all the way through, running out of steam early in the fourth quarter and allowing the host Pioneers to pull away for a 78-64 victory.
Hillsdale was in the lead or close throughout the contest, and when a Sydney Mills 3-pointer less than a minute into the fourth quarter cut the Malone lead to 59-54, it felt like the the Chargers had a real opportunity to seize control of the game.
Malone, however, was the one to take charge from that point on, as Hillsdale went the next five minutes without a field goal, with several good looks just not falling for the Chargers in that stretch.
Hillsdale's cold spell was just the opportunity the Pioneers needed, as Malone went on an 8-0 run during that stretch to take a 13-point lead it wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way.
The Chargers hung in the game thanks to a strong performance at the free throw line, going 16 of 18 from the charity stripe. Mills was a big part of that, going 8 of 10 from the foul line and finishing with a team-high 21 points and eight rebounds, including 10 of her team's 13 fourth-quarter points.
Sophomore Arianna Sysum chipped in 12 points on 4 for 4 foul shooting for Hillsdale, and freshman Dani Salebien added nine points, five rebounds and six assists.
Junior Lauren Daffenberg chipped in eight points and five rebounds off the bench for the Chargers, junior Grace Touchette added eight points and five assists, and senior Jaycie Burger chipped in eight rebounds and five assists as well for Hillsdale, which made 10 3-pointers but shot just 33.6% from the floor to Malone's 47.6%.
The Chargers fall to 2-14 on the season and in the G-MAC, and have a tough contest on Monday at Ohio Dominican to lead off a three-game week up next.
Photo by Anthony Lupi.