Schedule
Hillsdale (4-4, 1-1 G-MAC) at Tiffin (3-6, 0-2 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Dec. 8 | Gillmor Student Center | Tiffin, Ohio
Hillsdale (4-4, 1-1 G-MAC) at Ohio Dominican (2-5, 0-2 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 10 | Alumni Hall | Columbus, Ohio
Findlay (3-4, 0-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (4-4, 1-1 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 13 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Tiffin Roster | ODU Roster | Findlay Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Tiffin Stats | ODU Stats | Findlay Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #4 Peighton Nelson, So., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (5.6 ppg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg); #5 Sydney Mills, Sr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (12.5 ppg, 11.4 rpg); #10 Carly Callahan, So., G/F, Columbus, OH/Hilliard Bradley (9.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (15.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.8 apg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Sr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (5.4 ppg)
Tiffin: #5 Jada Tate, Sr., F, Pickerington, OH/Central (8.1 ppg, 5 rpg); #10 Savanah Richards, Sr., G, Findlay, OH/Liberty-Benton (11.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.7 spg); #14 Kaitlyn Moeller, So., G, Toledo, OH/Central Catholic (3.2 ppg); #15 Pistol Brinson, Gr., G, Lithia Springs, GA/Central Christian/Nova Southeastern (2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.7 apg); #24 Kirsten Williams, Sr., G, Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek (6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.4 spg)
Ohio Dominican: #5 Madelyn Fearon, Fr., G, Greenville, OH/Arcanum (7.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg); #10 Trinity Ramos, Fr., G, Reynoldsburg, OH/Reynoldsburg (10.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 spg); #12 Logan Pride, Fr., F, Twinsburg, OH/Twinsburg (2.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 spg); #22 Gabby Stare, Jr., G, Newark, OH/Newark (23 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.7 spg); #25 Macy Chapman, Fr., G, Hilliard, OH/Bradley (8.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1 spg)
Findlay: #2 Amber Schweiger, Sr., G, Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin (3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.4 spg); #12 Chloe Callahan, So., G, Columbus, OH/Hilliard Bradley (10.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg); #15 Kate Ellis, Jr., G, Perrysburg, OH/Toledo Central Catholic (12.3 ppg, 7 rpg, 1 spg); #22 Valerie Muhlenkamp, Jr., F, Ft. Recovery, OH/Ft. Recovery (5.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg); #31 Rachel Cooke, Sr., G/F, Thornville, OH/Sheridan (6.3 ppg)
Scouting the Opposition
Tiffin: Always a competitive team in the G-MAC, the Dragons have struggled to find their footing offensively so far this season with the graduation of star guard Aarion Nichols.
Tiffin does return three starters, including senior Savanah Richards, now in her fourth year in the starting lineup and leading the Dragons in scoring, as well as bruising post player Jada Tate and dependable guard Kirsten Williams. The Dragons also play solid defense, holding opponents to just 64.7 points per game.
But if the Dragons are going to overcome a 3-6 start, Tiffin will have to find more scoring. The Dragons are dead-last in the G-MAC in scoring offense, at 53.1 points per game, and have yet to crack 60 points in any of their nine contests.
Tiffin will look to get more out of its newcomers, including DII transfers Pistol Brinson and Jae'onna Sutton, as well as freshman guard Catara Dejarnette, to help the team increase its scoring punch.
The Dragons are coached by Josh Mason, in his first season leading the program. Mason was the head coach at Hoover High School in North Canton, Ohio last season, and previously spent time as an assistant coach with the Dragons during their successful 2020-21 run.
Ohio Dominican: After a brutal 2021-22 season, the Panthers have rebooted their squad this year, bringing in a massive freshman class and getting those new faces on the court early to try and build a new nucleus for the program.
The lone holdover in the lineup for the Panthers is gifted junior guard Gabby Stare, a 20-plus points per game scorer who's made back-to-back All-G-MAC teams. Surrounding Stare are four freshman starters, led by the promising guard trio of Trinity Ramos, Macy Chapman and Madelyn Fearon.
The youth movement has gotten off to a bumpy ride so far, as ODU's 2-5 record indicates, but there's been encouraging signs from the Panthers as well, including wins over 5-2 West Liberty and 5-3 Maryville. The Panthers' defense is improving, now ranked eighth in the G-MAC at 71.1 points conceded per game, but ODU will have to continue to raise its scoring, as the Panthers currently rank 12th in the G-MAC at 62.6 points per game.
ODU is coached by Melanie Balcomb, who is in her first season leading the Panthers but has a long and storied history on the sidelines, including leading NCAA Division I Vanderbilt to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and four Sweet 16 appearances in 14 seasons while becoming the program's all-time winningest coach.
Findlay: The Oilers are also a new-look team in 2022-23, after graduating three huge post presences in 6-foot-3 Sydney Kin, as well as 6-footers Bridget Landin and Paige Bellman.
While not small, Findlay is more perimeter-oriented than last season, playing through experienced senior leader Amber Schweiger, as well as two role players from 2021-22 who have taken big steps forward in junior guard Kate Ellis and sophomore guard Chloe Callahan. Both players are averaging in double figures after playing supporting roles last season, and have helped keep the Oilers competitive during a 3-4 start.
The Oilers play a deep bench, with guards Serena Sammarone, Janae Hoying and Lauren Hapgood also playing significant minutes for Findlay so far. Twelve different players are averaging 10 or more minutes for Findlay through seven games.
Findlay is coached by Michele Durand, entering her first season in charge of the Oilers after a 19-year tenure at NCAA DIII Ohio Northern University, leading the Polar Bears to five OAC titles and four NCAA Tournament bids, as well as a 2016-17 NCAA DIII Elite Eight appearance.
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 Arianna 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.
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 split its two meetings with Tiffin last year, with each team winning on the road. The Chargers hold a 20-11 all time lead over the Dragons in the series. Hillsdale also swept Ohio Dominican last season, winning by double digits in both meetings, to take an 11-10 series lead in what has been a hotly contested series between the two schools that's gone back and forth since 2017. Findlay, meanwhile, has seized a 28-25 lead in its rivalry series with Hillsdale thanks to a five-game winning streak, one that Hillsdale will be looking to break on Tuesday.
- A first-team All-G-MAC player last season, senior Grace Touchette is making her way onto several all-time lists in Hillsdale College women's basketball history. Touchette moved past Charger legend Megan Fogt into ninth on Hillsdale's all-time scoring list with 1,349 points. Touchette is also ninth now in career assists with 306, surpassing former teammate Allie Dewire's total of 305. The senior also is fifth all-time at Hillsdale in career 3-pointers made with 185, 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. She's picked up right where she left off last year with five double-doubles and six double-digit rebound games to start the 2022-23 season, including a 27 point, 15 rebound performance at Lake Superior State on Nov. 22. Mills is currently sixth all-time in career rebounds with 773 and another season of eligibility after this one. 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 Sandy Skaisgir's career record of 1,146 rebounds.
- While many of Hillsdale's starters are upperclassmen, a quartet of impressive sophomores is already making a big impact for the Chargers and showcasing a bright future for the program. Peighton Nelson, the 2022 G-MAC Freshman of the Year, is the team's starting point guard and leads the squad in assists, while Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain are playing starter's minutes off the bench and averaging a combined 21.2 points per game between them through two contests. The fourth sophomore of the group, Kendall McCormick, is working her way into the lineup as well after spending her freshman season adjusting to the college game. All four players will be crucial to Hillsdale's success moving forward.
- Both Callahan and Splain are from the Columbus area, and last year showed out in a big way against Ohio Dominican in the Arch City, combining for 26 points and six made 3-pointers off the bench in Hillsdale's 64-42 victory over ODU on Jan. 27, 2022. The pair could be in line for another big performance in their hometown this season – Callahan has moved into the starting lineup and is fourth on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game, while Splain is averaging 13.1 points and 2.8 made 3-pointers per game as Hillsdale's first substitute off the bench.
- If you're seeing double when Hillsdale plays Findlay, it's not an accident – Chloe and Carly Callahan are twin sisters who are in the rare position of playing on opposite sides of a heated rivalry. Both players have turned into starters and key contributors in their second seasons for their respective schools and will spend a lot of time on the court together on Tuesday.
- The Chargers currently lead the G-MAC in blocked shots per game with 3.13, an impressive showing for a program with only one player over six feet that regularly plays. That player, 6-foot-2 center Ashley Konkle, leads the Chargers with 1.3 blocks per game, but fellow post player Sydney Mills averages 0.8 blocks as well, while Arianna Sysum as well as guards Peighton Nelson and Dani Salenbien each average 0.3 blocks as well.