The Hillsdale College women's basketball team hung tough with visiting Malone for 35 of the game's 40 minutes on Saturday, but a tough offensive finish saw the Chargers fall to the Pioneers, 72-60, in the final minuntes of the contest.
Hillsdale took a 58-57 lead over Malone with 4:25 to play on a 3-pointer by sophomore Carly Callahan, but were outscored 15-2 the rest of the way as the Pioneers locked in defensively and Hillsdale just couldn't get good looks to fall.
The Chargers were 1 of 9 from the floor in that closing stanza and 0 for 6 from deep. Despite the scoring struggles, Hillsdale battled defensively, trailing just 64-60 with 1:36 to play after a layup by Arianna Sysum, but Malone was able to covert at the other end to stretch the lead back to six, and after Hillsdale's next possession came up empty, the Chargers were forced to foul to extend the game, and Malone went 6 for 8 from the line in the final minute to put the game out of reach.
Hillsdale led by as many as seven points with 3:16 left in the first quarter thanks to a fast start, and held a 30-29 lead at halftime. Although Malone held the lead for most of the second half, the Chargers kept fighting, and the Pioneers never led by more than six points at any point in the game until the final minute.
The Chargers got a big performance from senior Sydney Mills, who recorded her sixth double-double of the season in the loss after finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Grace Touchette chipped in 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a strong all-around performance, and Sysum added 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks. Caitlin Splain led the Chargers off the bench with seven points and three assists, and Lauren McDonald chipped in six rebounds as well.
Hillsdale is now 10-7 overall, 3-4 in the G-MAC and faces another big week ahead as the Chargers conclude a six game homestand. Next up for Hillsdale is Ursuline, currently at 5-2 in conference play, and another chance at a signature win against one of the top teams in the G-MAC that could pay dividends for the Chargers late in the season.
Photo by Charles Miller