Sydney Mills made just one shot in the Hillsdale College women's basketball team's Friday home contest against Purdue Northwest.
Luckily for the Chargers, it was the game-winner.
Mills, a senior, hit a running floater with one second to play to break a 59-59 deadlock and give the Chargers a 61-59 victory over the undefeated Pride, helping Hillsdale move to 3-1 on the season with a tough victory.
In a tie game with 4.1 seconds to play, Hillsdale's initial inbounds pass to Mills was nearly stolen -- but Mills was able to rip it away from the defender and get a clean look at the basket from 15 feet. Unable to reach the rim before time expired, Mills wisely chose to put up a floater -- and hit nothing but net to give the Chargers the lead.
Purdue Northwest's attempt at a game winner on the other end didn't make the rim, and Hillsdale capped off an exciting win.
The victory over the undefeated Pride was a hard-fought one that took multiple big plays for the Chargers. Hillsdale was down four points, 59-55, with under 2:10 to play when sophomore guard Caitlin Splain erased the deficit in one fell swoop, knocking down a transition 3-pointer on an assist from Grace Touchette while drawing a shooting foul as well. Splain hit the and-one to complete the four-point play and get the Chargers back to even with 2:02 left.
The Chargers also came through in a big way defensively, holding Purdue Northwest scoreless for the final 2:54 of the game to complete the comeback and seal the victory. A strong defensive effort helped the Chargers make up for what was a tough shooting night from deep, as Hillsdale went just 4 for 14 from beyond the arc in the contest.
Splain not only had the game-changing four-point play but led the Chargers in scoring, putting up 19 points on 7 of 15 shooting from the floor. Long known for her 3-point shooting accuracy and quick trigger, Splain showcased the development of other parts of her game tonight, getting to the rim for unassisted layups multiple times and also knocking down mid-range jumpers.
Touchette chipped in 11 points and four assists for the Chargers, while center Ashley Konkle added eight points, three rebounds and two blocks. Dani Salenbien and Carly Callahan each chipped in six points off the bench, and Peighton Nelson added six points as well.
While Mills had a quiet night offensively outside of her game-winner, she continued to do work on the boards for the Chargers, pulling down 10 rebounds for her fourth double-digit rebound game of the season in four contests.
Hillsdale next travels to the Upper Peninsula to face another GLIAC foe, Lake Superior State, on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. The Lakers are off to an 0-3 start, but have been competitive in all three contests and look like a more dangerous team than last season, making it imperative the Chargers stay focused and take care of business on the road with conference play approaching.
Photo by Anthony Lupi