The Hillsdale College women's basketball team overcame a rough start to its road contest at Lake Superior State on Tuesday, holding a 78-72 lead with four minutes to play.
But the Chargers couldn't hang on down the stretch, getting outscored 13-2 in the final three and a half minutes of the game to come up short in a tough 85-80 road loss to the Lakers.
Hillsdale trailed by as many as 11 points multiple times in the first half as Lake Superior State came out hot from deep, knocking down 3-pointers at a 42% clip, but the Chargers were able to battle back in the third quarter thanks to huge performances from its post players.
Senior forward Sydney Mills had one of the best all-around games of her career to record her fourth double-double in five games this season, knocking down six 3-pointers and shooting 66.7% from the floor to finish with 27 points and 15 rebounds.
She was complimented inside by junior center Ashley Konkle, who played her best game as a Chargers as well, shooting 8 of 10 from the floor to finish with a 16 point, 11 rebound double-double as well.
Together, the pair helped the Chargers claw back into the game, erasing a nine-point halftime deficit. Trailing 64-63 with 7:31 to play, Mills hit back-to-back 3-pointers to help the Chargers outscore Lake Superior State 15-8 over a critical stretch and seize a six-point advantage, their largest lead of the game, with under five minutes to go.
That gave Hillsdale a great shot to take home a victory in a game where they spent most of the night trailing, but the Chargers went cold at the wrong time after a nuclear hot stretch. Hillsdale committed three turnovers and sent Lake Superior State to the line four times in the final three and a half minutes, allowing the Lakers to retake the lead and take the victory.
Along with Hillsdale's dynamic post duo, Grace Touchette chipped in 14 points and seven assists in a solid performance for the Chargers, and Caitlin Splain hit three 3-pointers and added nine points and three rebounds off the bench.
Hillsdale falls to 3-2 and will look to regroup with another road contest this weekend at Davenport, aiming to pick up a regional victory and head into G-MAC play next week with a winning record.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan