Schedule
Northwood (6-7, 3-3 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (9-6, 2-3 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 5 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, Michigan
Malone (10-4, 4-2 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (9-6, 2-3 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 7 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, Michigan
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Northwood Roster | Malone Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Northwood Stats | Malone Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (5.4 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1.3 spg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (10.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg); #10 Carly Callahan, So., G/F, Columbus, OH/Hilliard Bradley (10.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg);#22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (15.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (6.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
Northwood: #3 Makenzie Todd, Jr., G, Grand Ledge, MI/Grand Ledge (14.8 ppg); #21 Maizie Taylor, Jr., G, Midland, MI/Dow (7.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.5 spg); #22 Ava DiMilia, Jr., F, New Boston, MI/Huron (8.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.1 spg); #25 Maddie Voelker, So., G, Goodrich, MI/Goodrich (10.46ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.2 spg); #31 Adele Kemp, Jr., F/G, Greenville, MI/Greenville (8.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.3 spg)
Malone: #10 Alexis Hutchison, Sr., G, Centerville, OH/Centerville (18.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 5.1 apg, 2 spg); #12 Emma Kallas, Sr., F, Waukesha, WI/Martin Luther (13.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg); #22 Kyli Horn, So., G, Millersburg, OH/Hiland (8.1 ppg); #25 Brooklyn Troyer, So., G, Apple Creek, OH/Waynedale (9.8 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.1 spg); #33 Erin Kaufman, Fr., F, Glandorf, OH/Ottawa Glandorf (12.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 apg)
Scouting the Opposition
Northwood: The Timberwolves have had an up-and-down first season in the G-MAC in 2022-23, sitting at .500 six games into the conference schedule.
Northwood has been hit hard by injuries that have put two presumptive starters on the sidelines, but have stayed competitive under the leadership of returning starter Makenzie Todd, who leads the team in scoring.
Three of Northwood's top substitutes from last year, guard Adele Kemp and posts Ava DiMilia and Maddie Voelker, also have played a big role early on for the Timberwolves, while freshman guard Maeve St. John has been an impressive debutant off the bench, averaging 6.6 points per game.
While Northwood has struggled defensively and on the boards, they're finding success by taking care of the basketball and forcing opponent turnovers, with a G-MAC-best 3.92 turnover margin so far. The Timberwolves are also taking advantage of opportunities at the free throw line, converting at a 80.5% clip.
Northwood is coached by Autumn Haggadone, now in her second season in charge after leading the Timberwolves to a 18-10 record in her first season. Haggadone was an assistant for four years at Northwood prior to taking the head job, and was also an assistant coach for two seasons at her alma mater, Albion College.
Malone: Possibly the biggest surprise team in the G-MAC so far this season, Malone is on track to have a better campaign than 2021-22 despite graduating four of its top six leading scorers and two All-G-MAC honorees from last year's team.
Malone's two returning starters, seniors Alexis Hutchison and Emma Kallas, have taken on starring roles this year, with Hutchison in particular turning into a G-MAC Player of the Year contender.
The Pioneers also have gotten a big boost from freshman Erin Kaufman, a 6-foot-1 forward who gives Malone size its lineup otherwise lacks and is averaging nearly 13 points and 8 rebounds a game.
Malone combines an explosive offense with one of the G-MAC's stingiest defenses to date -- trailing only defending conference champion and the top-ranked team in the nation, Ashland, in the conference in both categories.
The Pioneers are coached by Selana Reale, now in her fifth season at the helm in Malone. During her tenure, Reale has helped the Pioneers to three G-MAC Tournament appearances, and was named G-MAC Coach of the Year for the 2018-19 season.
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 currently sit in a tie for eighth place in the G-MAC through five games, a half-game behind Trevecca Nazarene and Northwood. Defending G-MAC Champion Ashland, the consensus top-ranked team in the country at the NCAA DII level, is currently atop the standings at 6-0, with Kentucky Wesleyan a game behind in second place at 4-1.
- Northwood leads a competitive series with Hillsdale, 30-24, and have won four of the last five meetings, including a 79-70 victory in Midland, Michigan on Nov. 13 last season. Hillsdale's last win over Northwood came on Nov. 10, 2019, an 80-71 victory. The Hillsdale/Malone series is also competitive, with the Chargers holding an 8-7 edge all-time. The two teams split their two meetings last year, with Hillsdale winning 91-61 at home, and Malone taking a 71-62 victory in Canton, Ohio.
- 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 Dawn Murphy earlier this month into seventh on Hillsdale's all-time scoring list and now has 1,437 points. Touchette is also seventh all-time at Hillsdale in career assists with 327, fifth in career 3-pointers made with 197, and seventh in career field goals made with 509.
- 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 seven 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 831 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. At 966 points for her career as well, Mills needs just 34 to become the 20th player in program history to reach 1,000 points for her career.
- 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 team in assists, while Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain are averaging a combined 21.6 points per game between them through 15 contests. The fourth sophomore of the group, Kendall McCormick, scored a career high in points against Madonna on Dec. 30 and is a part of the rotation. All four players will be crucial to Hillsdale's success moving forward.
- Both Splain and Callahan are on an impressive trajectory from beyond the arc – with 40 made 3-pointers through 15 games, Splain has a shot of challenging the single-season record of 89 set by Brittany Gray in 2018-19, while Callahan's 35 has her not far behind her teammate. Splain is on pace to make a run at another record -- the sophomore has 88 made 3-pointers so far in 41 games for the Chargers, giving her a shot at challenging the career program record of 237 held by Chelsea Harrison if she stays healthy during her time at Hillsdale and continues to produce.
- The Chargers currently lead the G-MAC in blocked shots per game with 2.92, an impressive showing for a program with only one player over six feet that regularly plays. Rim protection is a team effort for the Chargers, who have no player averaging over 0.8 blocks per game but 10 different players who have contributed at least one block this year.
Photo by Charles Miller