After battling through an eight-game losing streak, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team broke through with a cathartic 100-67 win on Saturday over Ohio Valley at home.
Now, with another game on tap against the Fighting Scots this Tuesday, as well as a contest at home against G-MAC leader Cedarville on Saturday, the Chargers are looking to close out the 2020-21 season on a high note.
This Saturday will also mark the final home game of the 2020-21 campaign, and Hillsdale will honor its lone senior, guard Jaycie Burger, before the contest at 1 p.m.
While complying with MDHHS orders, Hillsdale College is now allowing a limited number of fans to attend games at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena for the remainder of the season. You can find more details at this link, and you can also find links to ticket pages for each game below. Tickets will not go on sale until 24 hours before each match.
You can also follow along with all the action on the Great Midwest Digital Network. Links to both live stats and the streaming webcast for each match are below.
Schedule
Hillsdale (3-16, 3-16 G-MAC) at Ohio Valley (0-16, 0-16 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23 | Snyder Activity Center | Vienna, WV
Cedarville (17-4, 17-4 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (3-16, 3-16 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs OVU | Webcast vs OVU | Live Stats vs Cedarville | Webcast vs Cedarville | Tickets
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | OVU Roster | Cedarville Roster | 2020-21 Hillsdale Stats | 2020-21 OVU Stats | 2020-21 Cedarville Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Dani Salenbien, Fr., G, Adrian, MI/Lenawee Christian (7.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.2 apg); #22 Grace Touchette, Jr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (13.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.2 apg); #3 Jaycie Burger, Sr., G, Pittsford, MI/Pittsford (9.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.4 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, So., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (14.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg); #15 Arianna Sysum, So., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (9.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg)
Ohio Valley: #23 Marina Garcia, Fr., G, Leon, Spain/Ies Padre Isla (6.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.4 spg); #55 Nahia Urturi-Ortiz, So., G, Victoria, Spain/Asador 10 Gibajas (7.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg); #50 Lucia Gancedo, Fr., F, Leon, Spain/Ies Gil Y Carrasco (5.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg); #20 Jordan Fox, Sr., G, St. Marys, WV/St. Marys (14.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1 spg) #10 Tanner Esposito, Sr., G, Lakeland, FL/McKeel Academy (11.6 ppg, 2.8 apg, 1 spg)
Cedarville: #5 Ashlyn Huffman, Sr., G, Columbus, IN/North (15.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.7 spg); #0 Emily Chapman, Jr., G, Proctorville, OH/Fairland (13.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.8 apg); #24 Allison Mader, G, Jr. Tipp City, OH/Tippecanoe (9.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg); #11 Isabelle Bolender, G, So. Cedarville, OH/Cedarville (14 ppg, 4.4 rpg); #44 Lexi Moore, Jr., F, Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek (4.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.3 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
Ohio Valley: Shorthanded and deeply inexperienced, there's no sugar-coating what's been a rough year for the Fighting Scots in their final season in the G-MAC.
With just eight players on the roster and less dressing most nights, it's been hard for Ohio Valley to keep up with conference opponents, going 0-16 without a single one of those losses coming by single digits.
Senior Jordan Fox is a bright spot for the Fighting Scots, averaging 14.5 points per game and currently ranking 14th in the G-MAC in that stat, while a young core of four international players, including three from Spain, are getting valuable playing time and giving Ohio Valley something to build around in the future.
Ohio Valley is coached by Sonya Miller, who is in her fourth season in charge of the Fighting Scots program in 2020-21. Prior to taking the job at OVU, Miller was a successful coach at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio.
Cedarville: A perennial power in the G-MAC, Cedarville has had a roller-coaster season, losing their season opener and then reeling off 15 straight wins to take a seemingly insurmountable conference lead.
But three losses in their last five games have dropped the Yellow Jackets into a three-way tie for first, and Cedarville now needs to beat the Chargers to guarantee at least a share of the title and hold on to the top seed in the upcoming G-MAC tournament.
The Yellowjackets still boast an electric offense that leads the G-MAC with 84.5 points per game, with a massive stable of sharp-shooting guards that can run any team out of the gym on a hot night. Cedarville leads the G-MAC in 3-point percentage (40%) and in made 3s per game (11.2).
What's slipped for Cedarville recently has been its defense. While the Yellow Jackets have only fallen off slightly in the last two weeks, it's been enough to shift close games with Tiffin, Kentucky Wesleyan and Walsh into losses in their second meetings with all three teams. Tightening things up at that end of the floor is a priority for Cedarville with the G-MAC tourney looming.
Coaching Cedarville is Kari Hoffman, an alum and former player for the Yellowjackets who's entering her fifth season in charge. The 2017-18 G-MAC Coach of the Year has guided Cedarville to a 94-33 record during her tenure and has never won fewer than 19 games in a season.
Scouting Hillsdale
The Chargers got a much-needed win over Ohio Valley, 100-67, on Saturday to snap an eight-game losing streak, and are looking to string together a run to end the 2020-21 season.
Always a strong rebounder, sophomore Sydney Mills has asserted herself as a scorer with double-figure nights in each of the last 13 games, and is looking like an all-conference caliber player. Paired with the consistent production of junior guard Grace Touchette, Mills has helped the Chargers make big strides offensively in the past month.
In other areas, too, the Chargers are showing improvement. Arianna Sysum, has been a key piece so far after a limited role in 2019-20, and junior Lauren Daffenberg is excelling in her new role as the team's sixth man, bringing offensive firepower off the bench.
Hillsdale's lone senior, Jaycie Burger, continues to be an excellent leader for the team, bringing defense, toughness and outside shooting touch to the lineup, while freshman Dani Salenbien is adjusting quickly to the collegiate game with a versatile set of skills to add to the Charger attack.
The Chargers are coached by Charlie Averkamp, who's in his first year with the Hillsdale program after an excellent four-year run at Division III Benedictine University. His staff includes Amanda Parker, the former head coach at Division III Dominican University, former Williams College player Angela Vecchiarelli, and former Wisconsin Parkside player Hayley Maystead.
Other Notes
- The Chargers are 5-1 all-time against Ohio Valley, winning the most recent meeting with the Fighting Scots 100-76 just three days ago.
- Cedarville has a 6-2 edge in the all-time series with Hillsdale, including an 83-63 win over the Chargers earlier this season on Jan. 14, 2021. Hillsdale's last win in the series came on Feb. 2, 2019, in a 72-66 victory over the Yellow Jackets.
- Junior Lauren Daffenberg continues to climb the Chargers' all-time 3-pointers made list. Daffenberg is 6th in Hillsdale history in career made 3-pointers with 164, and just two 3-pointers behind Jodie Haines (2003-07) and her 166 made 3-pointers for fifth all-time. The record-holder for the Chargers is Chelsea Harrison, with 237 made 3-pointers in her career.
- Along with Daffenberg, senior Jaycie Burger is also working her way up the career made 3-pointers list. At 148 for her career after last week, Burger passed Mary Wiesen (1999-03) and her total of 144 made 3-pointers for 8th all-time. Daffenberg and Burger might not be the last from this year's squad to make the list – junior Grace Touchette has 113 made 3-pointers for her career and is climbing fast.
- Burger also did something extremely rare in Hillsdale's 100-67 win over Ohio Valley on Saturday, finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists for the Charger women's team's first triple-double since Makenna Ott finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an 85-84 loss to Ursuline on Feb. 8, 2018. Along with All-American Katie Cezat, is one of just three Charger players to record a triple-double in the last 15 years.
- Sophomore Sydney Mills had the best offensive game in seven years in the Chargers' 90-79 loss at Ursuline on Thursday, scoring a career-high 34 points and also finishing with 13 rebounds. Mills' total was the most points scored by a Charger woman since All-American Megan Fogt scored 41 at Walsh on Feb. 1, 2014. For the season, Mills is averaging 14.8 points and a G-MAC leading 10.5 rebounds, and has seven double-doubles, including three straight entering this week.
- Hillsdale is one of only two teams in the G-MAC with multiple players in the top 10 in assists per game on the season, along with league-leader Cedarville. Burger is currently 5th at 4.4 assists per game, and Touchette is 7th with 4.2 assists.
- The Chargers are also the only team with three players in the top 10 in the G-MAC in 3-point field goal percentage. Daffenberg is 4th at 37.9%, Burger is 6th at 36.6% and Touchette is 10th at 32%.