The Hillsdale College women's basketball team put a scare into Great Midwest Athletic Conference champion Cedarville on Saturday in its final game of the regular season.
The Chargers led the Yellow Jackets 41-36 at the half, but couldn't hold on as a 38-point third quarter from Cedarville allowed the Yellow Jackets to pull ahead and pull away for a 92-72 win.
Hillsdale College shot well over 50% from both the field and 3-point range to build that halftime lead. Senior Jaycie Burger, playing in the final game of a strong four-year career, hit four first half 3-pointers to lead the way, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the contest.
In the third quarter, however, the 18-4 Yellow Jackets caught fire. Cedarville was 13 of 19 from the floor and 6 of 8 from 3-point range in the period to turn a five-point halftime deficit into a double-digit lead. Hillsdale couldn't claw its way back into the contest from there.
Along with Burger, junior Grace Touchette finished with 18 points and four assists for the Chargers, sophomore Sydney Mills added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and freshman Dani Salenbien chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds. Junior Lauren Daffenberg hit three 3-pointers and finished with nine points off the bench as well.
Burger, who was honored in a ceremony prior to the game, ends her career having played in 107 games, starting 84 of them. She finishes with 763 total points, 453 rebounds, 58 steals and 22 blocks. Her 312 career assists tie her for 7th in Hillsdale women's basketball history with Ann Gapa ('88), and her 154 3-pointers are good for eighth all-time.
Hillsdale finishes the regular season at 4-17 overall. While Burger will be a tough player to replace, the Chargers return every other player and can hope for better health, with several players who missed all or parts of the year slated to return healthy in 2021-22.
Photo by Anthony Lupi
