In a must-win game for both teams on Thursday evening, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team came through with one of the best second halves off the season to knock off visiting Cedarville, 68-53.
Trailing 30-24 at the half, the Chargers came out of the locker room with a different energy. Putting on a full-court press and dialing up the intensity, the Chargers erased that halftime deficit in just two and a half minutes before surging ahead with a 25-point quarter, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 25-11 to take a 49-41 lead into the final period.
With the game in the balance, Cedarville never got closer in the final quarter as Hillsdale clamped down defensively, holding the Yellow Jackets to 12 points while pulling away for a double-digit win.
Hillsdale's defense came up big throughout the game, as the Chargers held Cedarville to 15 points below their season average in the victory. The Chargers' consistent success defensively allowed them to weather a rough first half offensively that saw the Chargers go 0 for 8 from 3-point range and shoot in the 30s from the floor. Cedarville led by as many as 12, 28-16, with 4:36 to play in the half, but Hillsdale kept them in check down the stretch to prevent the Yellow Jackets from pulling away, then maintained that momentum in the second half.
The Chargers recorded 15 assists, using great passing and aggressive finishing at the rim to overcome a 3 for 18 night from 3-point range. Senior Arianna Sysum was a perfect 5 for 5 from the floor for 12 points for Hillsdale, but the Chargers also got nine points and five assists from senior Grace Touchette, eight points and nine rebounds from senior Sydney Mills, and eight points each from both Carly Callahan and Dani Salenbien as well in the victory. All 11 players scored for Hillsdale in the win, and Hillsdale got 29 points off the bench on the night.
The victory is a huge one for the Chargers, who improve to 13-9 overall, 6-6 in the G-MAC, and 11-1 in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. Hillsdale is now tied for sixth place in the G-MAC with Walsh, a game and a half ahead of Cedarville and Northwood who are tied for the eighth and final spot in the G-MAC tournament. Hillsdale can move one step closer to locking up a spot this weekend with a game against the Timberwolves in Midland on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Photo by Charles Miller