Schedule
Ursuline (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) vs Quincy (0-0, 0-0 GLVC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 12 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Truman St. (0-0, 0-0 GLVC) at Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 12 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Ursuline (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) vs Truman St. (0-0, 0-0 GLVC) | 12 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 13 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Quincy (0-0, 0-0 GLVC) at Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 13 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats | Webcast | Tickets
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ursuline Roster | Quincy Roster | Truman Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Ursuline Stats | 2021-22 Quincy Stats | 2021-22 Truman Stats
Players to Watch*
Hillsdale: #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (8.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.3 spg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (12.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (16.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.3 apg); #30 Caitlin Splain, So., G, Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty (6.8 ppg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (8.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.8 bpg)
Ursuline: #3 Patience Ashaolu, Sr., G, Clinton, PA/West Allegheny (6.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg); #5 Madison Cloonan, Jr., G, Kirtland, OH/Cornerstone Christian (11.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.2 spg); #12 Riley Stopp, So., G, Mentor, OH/Cornerstone Christian (4.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg); #20 Michaela Cloonan, Jr., G, Kirtland, OH/Cornerstone Christian (16.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.2 spg); #32 Alyssa Evans, G, Sr., Amanda, OH/Amanda-Clearcreek (13.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.2 spg)
Quincy: #5 Beth Matas Martin, Sr., G, Girona, Spain/Maristes Girona/Garden City CC (11.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.3 spg); #11 Emma Knipe, Sr., F, Nauvoo, IL/Warsaw/Southeastern CC (5.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 spg); #22 Grace Flanagan, Jr., G, Coggon, IA/North Linn/Des Moines Area CC (5.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg); #32 Naelyn Rios, G, Jr., Mayaguez, Puerto Rico/King/West Alabama (7.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3 apg, 1.4 spg at West Alabama); #33 Sarah Nelson, Sr., F, Quincy, IL/Quincy Senior (9.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
Truman St.: #0 Gracie Neff, G, So., Kansas City, MO/Staley/Lindenwood (2.1 ppg, 4.0 apg at Lindenwood); #2 Alex Fanning, Sr., F, Elmwood Park, IL/Trinity/Benedictine (14.1 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1 spg, 3.2 bpg at Benedictine); #3 Gracie Stugart, So, G, St. Louis, MO/Francis Howell Central (3.7 ppg, 2.2 apg); #13 Hannah Belanger, Sr., G, Grafton, WI/Grafton (17.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.9 apg); #32 Ellie Weltha, Sr., F, Bloomington, IL/Bloomington/Illinois St. (16.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg)
*2021-22 Stats
Scouting the Opposition
Ursuline: The Arrows had a rocky 2021-22 campaign through no fault of their own, spending most of the season with just six or even the minimum five dressed players due to injuries and illness.
With better health this season, Ursuline has the building blocks to be a tough out in the G-MAC. Sisters Michaela and Madison Cloonan are an extremely effective and high-scoring duo that lead the way for the Arrows, and Ursuline also returns two more quality starters in double-digit scoring guard Alyssa Evans and dependable senior Patience Ashalou.
The big questions for Ursuline are how the Arrows replace minutes leader Bekah Green and her 15.5 points per game, and what production the Arrows can get from a bench that was literally nonexistent for most of last season. Building an eight or nine-player rotation could give the Arrows what they need to improve on last year's 11-win season.
Leading Ursuline is head coach Shannon Sword, now entering her 12th season with the Arrows. During her time at Ursuline, Sword has guided the Arrows to two G-MAC regular season titles, two NCAA tournament appearances and a then-G-MAC record of 22 consecutive conference wins. She was also the G-MAC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016.
Quincy: 2021-22 was a tough season for the Hawks, who finished 13th out of 15 teams in the GLVC with a 9-20 overall mark.
Quincy does have some pieces to work with coming back in the 2022-23 campaign. Third-team All-GLVC guard Beth Matas Martin, the team's leading scorer last season, is one of three starters returning, alongside dependable post player Sarah Nelson and senior guard Emma Knipe. One of the top subs off the Hawks' bench, Grace Flanagan, should also play a bigger role for the team this season.
To fill the void of other departures, Quincy brought in an intriguing transfer in Naelyn Rios, who looked solid in limited action for West Alabama last season, as well as six freshmen.
In order to take the next step as a program, Quincy will have to improve offensively. The Hawks held opponents to a respectable 63.7 points per game in 2021-22 but averaged just 58.2 themselves, a mark that will have to get better for the Hawks to move up the GLVC standings.
Quincy is coached by Kaci Bailey, who enters her second season leading the Hawks. Bailey came to Quincy after four years as an assistant coach at George Mason, and also spent time as an assistant at Wichita State and Central Arkansas. As a player, Bailey was a part of Southern Illnois' 2007 Missouri Valley Conference championship.
Truman St.: The Bulldogs just missed out on the NCAA Tournament last season, but are hoping a mix of two first-team All-GLVC returners and impact transfers will lift the team back to the tourney in 2022-23.
Truman has two huge pieces back in guard Hannah Belanger and forward Ellie Weltha, who were both unanimous selections to the All-GLVC squad in 2021-22. The pair combined to average nearly 33 points and 15 rebounds per game and are a huge reason why the Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the preseason GLVC Poll.
While Belanger and Weltha return, much of Truman's supporting cast around them has departed. That led the Bulldogs to hit the transfer portal and bring in two big impact players – 6-2 forward Alex Fanning, who averaged a double-double at Division III Benedictine last season, and Gracie Neff, a pass-first point guard who was effective in a limited role last season at Lindenwood.
Truman will also look to guards Gracie Stugart and Hannah Pinkston to play bigger roles this season after coming off the bench for spot minutes last year.
The Bulldogs are coached by Theo Dean, who is entering his fourth year in charge of the program. A Truman alumnus, Dean has spent a decade with the Bulldogs in various roles, including as the program's top assistant from 2016 to 2019 before moving into the head coaching job.
Scouting Hillsdale
The Chargers made huge strides in the 2021-22 season, improving by nine wins from the previous year and finishing just one win away from a winning season and a berth in the G-MAC Tournament.
With turnover at other programs across the G-MAC, the expectation is for the Chargers to push even higher this year, with an impressive amount of talent returning from last year's squad.
All five starters return from the 2021-22 team, including All-G-MAC players Grace Touchette and Sydney Mills, and G-MAC Freshman of the Year Peighton Nelson. Those three stars, along with defensive menace Ari Sysum and versatile guard Dani Salenbien, give Hillsdale a great nucleus to build around.
While Nelson is the headliner, Hillsdale is expecting great things from all the members of this year's sophomore class. Second-year players Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain played well off the bench for the Chargers last year and should be ready for bigger roles this season, while Kendall McCormick could make an impact after a year of adjusting to the college game as well.
In the post, Hillsdale returns another solid reserve in senior Maverick Delp, and adds a potential game-changer in Western Michigan transfer Ashley Konkle. The 6-2 post got playing time for the Broncos and could make a huge impact for the Chargers in 2022-23 after sitting out last season while recovering from an injury.
Hillsdale is coached by Charlie Averkamp, who returns for his third season with the Chargers this year, along with second-year assistants Brianna Brennan and Brooke Bailey.
Other Notes
- The Chargers were picked to finish 6th in the 2022-23 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll in line with their 7th place finish in 2021-22. Defending champion Ashland was picked to repeat as title-winners, while Kentucky Wesleyan was picked second and Walsh third.
- Hillsdale plays host to a G-MAC/GLVC Crossover this weekend. Joined by conference foe Ursuline, the Chargers and Arrows will each play Truman State and Quincy from the GLVC over two days, each taking on one on Saturday and then swapping opponents on Sunday.
- Despite both teams playing in the Midwest Region, this weekend will be the first time Hillsdale has played Truman in a women's basketball contest. The two programs do have a connection in Chargers assistant Brooke Bailey, who was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs from 2014 to 2019 and helped Truman to a school-record 23 wins and a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019. Hillsdale is 1-1 all-time against Quincy, with the most recent meeting between the two teams coming in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, an 82-73 Quincy victory.
- A first-team All-G-MAC player last season, senior Grace Touchette enters the 2022-23 campaign poised to make several all-time lists in Hillsdale College women's basketball history. Touchette is 12th in career points with 1,225 and could move as high as fourth with a strong season, and, at 284 career assists, should break into the top 10 all time in that stat as well. Touchette is already sixth all-time at Hillsdale in career 3-pointers made with 172, and matching last season's numbers should move her into third all-time in that stat.
- Junior Sydney Mills is a repeat second-team All-G-MAC honoree, and has averaged a double-double in each of the past two seasons. Her 291 rebounds were the seventh-most in a single season in program history, and she's currently tied for eighth all-time in career rebounds with 682 and two more seasons of eligibility remaining. A strong, healthy finish to Mills' career should see her become just the third player in program history with 1,000 rebounds in her career, and potentially threaten Sany Skaisgir's career record of 1,146 rebounds.