Schedule
Hillsdale (12-7, 5-4 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (12-4, 8-1 G-MAC) | 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 19 | Owensboro Sportscenter | Owensboro, KY
Hillsdale (12-7, 5-4 G-MAC) at Trevecca Nazarene (11-6, 7-3 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 21 | Trojan Fieldhouse | Nashville, TN
Follow/Watch
Live Stream and Live Stats Links | Tickets
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | KWC Roster | Trevecca Roster | Hillsdale Stats | KWC Stats | Trevecca Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (5.3 ppg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 spg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (10.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg); #10 Carly Callahan, So., G/F, Columbus, OH/Hilliard Bradley (9.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg);#22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (14.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.3 apg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
KWC: #10 Corina Conley, Jr., G/F, Englewood, OH/Franklin Monroe (7.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 spg); #12 Jordyn Barga, Sr., F, Farmland, IN/Monroe Central (8.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.8 spg); #14 Shaylee McDonald, G, Jr., Washington Courthouse, OH/Miami Trace (8.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.2 spg); #20 Shiya Hoosier, Jr., G, Hendersonville, TN/Beech Senior (10.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.2 spg); #22 Cali Nolot, Sr., G, New Salisbury, IN/North Harrison (12.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.3 spg)
Trevecca: #2 Lili Wilken, Fr., G, Franklin, TN/Page (9.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 spg); #10 Faith Wilken, Jr., G, Nolensville, TN/Page (7.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.4 spg); #23 Bayleigh Carmichael, Sr., G, Jonesborough, TN/Daniel Boone (7 ppg, 3.2 rpg); #24 Keeley Carter, Jr., G, Lafayette, TN/Macon County (18.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.3 spg); #45 Emma Palmer, Jr., F, Mount Juliet, TN/Mt. Juliet/Northern Kentucky (12.4 ppg, 7 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Kentucky Wesleyan: One of the G-MAC's most consistent programs with four consecutive top three finishes entering this season, the Panthers once again have a strong team that looks like the toughest challenger to DII #1 Ashland's supremacy in league play.
At 9-1 in conference, with their only blemish a loss to the unbeaten Eagles, the Panthers have a strong, defensively sound squad with several veteran contributors to build around, including multi-year returning starters Cali Nalot and Jordyn Barga, as well as one of the G-MAC's top reserve players for multiple seasons in super-scorer Tahlia Walton.
In contrast to past years, the Panthers haven't gone as deep on the bench, with a rotation of nine most nights, and haven't been as offensively explosive, but their ferocious pressure defense that's second in the G-MAC in steals is as tough as it's ever been and giving opponents all sorts of problems.
Guards Shiya Hoosier and Shaylee McDonald have done well in more expanded offensive roles this season, and their continued development will play a big part in whether the Panthers make their third NCAA Tournament appearance in five years this March.
Kentucky Wesleyan is coached by the husband and wife team of Nicole and Caleb Nieman, now in their 13th season with the Panthers. The duo has become the all-time winningest coaches in KWC women's basketball history, have never missed the postseason during their tenure, and have won three conference titles.
Trevecca: A new coach has brought a new atmosphere to a team that was in the cellar in 2021-22, as the Trojans are currently third in the G-MAC with a 7-3 record at the halfway mark of the regular season.
The Trojans can lead on a bona fide star in Keeley Carter, a junior guard who earned second team All-G-MAC honors last season and is averaging 18.2 points per game so far.
Bench depth has helped Trevecca surprise so far – 6-2 forward Emma Palmer has spent most of the season coming off the pine, but is averaging 12.4 points per game in just 20 minutes per outing in 16 contests so far, while freshmen guards Jayda Woods and Mattie Buck have impressed with solid scoring output in starter's minutes so far.
Sisters Lili and Faith Wilken are key parts of the team, both in terms of scoring and in their contributions on the glass and defensively. Trevecca is solid defensively, but continued improvement offensively is necessary to help them sustain their strong start – at 68.1 points per game, the Trojans rank just eighth in the G-MAC in scoring so far.
The new leader at Trevecca Nazarene is Karen Booker, an All-American at NCAA DI Vanderbilt in 1987 who played in the WNBA. As a coach, Booker has 15 years of experience at all levels of professional and collegiate basketball, including two seasons as head coach at NCAA DI Cal Poly and two seasons in charge at NCAA DIII Sewanee.
Scouting Hillsdale
After dropping to 4-6 in mid-December, the Chargers have been on a tear over the past six weeks, winning eight of their last nine contests to get to 12-7 overall and above .500 in G-MAC play.
That recent push has put Hillsdale in a position to live up to its preseason expectations of continuing to climb the G-MAC standings and return to the conference tournament after falling just short in 2021-22.
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 has enviable depth, with a rotation that also includes senior forward Maverick Delp and gifted transfers Lauren McDonald and Ashley Konkle, giving the Chargers a variety of schematic options and weapons to throw at opponents.
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 fifth place in the G-MAC through nine games, along with Ursuline, and are a game behind Trevecca Nazarene and Malone in third place. Defending G-MAC Champion Ashland, the consensus top-ranked team in the country at the NCAA DII level, is currently atop the standings at 8-0, with Kentucky Wesleyan a game behind in second place at 6-1. See the full standings here.
- Kentucky Wesleyan holds an 8-2 lead all-time over the Chargers in the series between the two teams, and have won eight straight after Hillsdale took the first two meetings between the two programs in 2017-18. That includes both contests last season. Hillsdale, meanwhile, has a 7-3 series lead over Trevecca that includes five straight victories, including a 78-51 victory at home on Dec. 3 this season.
- 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 Ann Iciek last week into sixth on Hillsdale's all-time scoring list and now has 1,489 points. Touchette is also fifth all-time at Hillsdale in career assists with 343, fourth in career 3-pointers made with 204, and seventh in career field goals made with 527.
- This weekend is a big test for Hillsdale as the Chargers hit the road in the midst of a dramatic split this season between home and away games. The Chargers are 10-1 in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena but 2-6 on the road, scoring nearly seven less points per game in away contests. If Hillsdale can close that gap for the stretch run, it could be a huge finish for the Chargers.
- Senior Sydney Mills became just the 20th player in Chargers women's basketball history to reach an important career milestone last Thursday, surpassing 1,000 points in Hillsdale's win over Ursuline. Mills is closing in on another milestone as well with 869 career rebounds, within striking distance of becoming just the third player in Chargers history to surpass 1,000 rebounds for her career as well. A two-time second-team All-G-MAC honoree, Mills is averaging a double-double for the third straight season and has eight double-doubles so far in 2022-23.
- 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 is second on the team in assists, while Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain are averaging a combined 20.7 points per game between them through 19 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 51 made 3-pointers through 19 games, Splain has a shot of challenging the single-season record of 89 set by Brittany Gray in 2018-19, while Callahan's 41 has her not far behind her teammate. Splain is on pace to make a run at another record -- the sophomore has 99 made 3-pointers so far in 45 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 3.41, 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 0.7 blocks per game but 10 different players who have contributed at least one block this year.