Schedule
#1 Ashland (21-0, 13-0 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (13-10, 6-7 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 2 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale (13-10, 6-7 G-MAC) at Ursuline (12-9, 8-5 G-MAC) | 2 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 4 | Stano Athletic Center | Pepper Pike, Ohio
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | Ursuline Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Ashland Stats | Ursuline Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #4 Peighton Nelson, So., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (5.1 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg); #5 Sydney Mills, Sr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (10.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg); #10 Carly Callahan, So., G/F, Columbus, OH/Hilliard Bradley (9.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg);#22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (14.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.2 apg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Sr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (6.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
Ashland: #3 Morgan Yoder, So., G, Dundee, OH/Berlin Hiland (5.2 ppg, 3.5 apg, 1.1 spg); #10 Hallie Heidemann, Sr., G, Cincinnati, OH/McAuley (12.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2 spg); #20 Maddie Maloney, Sr., G, St. Johns, MI/St. Johns/Saginaw Valley St. (6.6 ppg, 2.8 apg); #33 Hayley Smith, So., F, Canton, OH/St. Thomas Aquinas (12.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg); #42 Annie Roshak, Sr., F, North Canton, OH/Hoover (14.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Ursuline: #5 Madison Cloonan, Jr., G, Kirtland, OH/Cornerstone Christian (11.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.6 apg); #12 Riley Stopp, So., G, Mentor, OH/Cornerstone Christian (5.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg); #20 Michaela Cloonan, Jr., G, Kirtland, OH/Cornerstone Christian (11.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.4 spg); #24 Madyson Stottsberry, So., G, Newark, OH/Newark (4.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg); #32 Alyssa Evans, G, Sr., Amanda, OH/Amanda-Clearcreek (17.7 ppg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
Ashland: The undisputed top team in the nation and the favorite to win the national title, the Eagles are the most formidable opponent a DII team could encounter in the 2022-23 season.
Ashland has been dominant this season, with an average margin of victory of 26.7 points and just two games in single digits -- one of which was an overtime victory at the No. 2 team in the nation, Drury.
The Eagles boast a deep and talented lineup headlined by All-American post player Annie Roshak and returning All-G-MAC guard Hallie Heidemann, arguably two of the nation's best players.
Added to the mix are three high-level transfers -- Bowling Green St. transfer Zoe Miller, who's second on the team in scoring off the bench, as well as former SVSU star and starter Maddie Maloney and Purdue Northwest standout Savaya Brockington.
With 10 high-level players to dress, Ashland comes at opponents in waves and dominates the second half of games after wearing the other team down.
If there is a common denominator to Ashland's two close calls, it's post play -- both Drury and Truman State battled the Eagles to a standstill on the boards and outscored them in points in the paint -- but it's a formula that's easier said that done given the strength of Ashland's forwards.
Ashland is coached by Kari Pickens, now in her fifth year at Ashland with a 105-15 record entering this year. A former assistant and star player at Ashland, Pickens has led the Eagles to four NCAA Tournament berths in four years.
Ursuline: It's been five seasons since the Ursuline women's basketball team has made the G-MAC Tournament, but so far it looks like that drought is going to end in 2022-23.
With better health this season, Ursuline has been one of the top teams in the conference so far, currently sitting in fifth place at 8-5. Sisters Michaela and Madison Cloonan are an extremely effective and high-scoring duo that lead the way for the Arrows, and senior Alyssa Evans has stepped up in a huge way, averaging 17.7 points per game, currently fifth in the G-MAC.
One season after fielding six players for most of its games, the Arrows have rebuilt their bench and it's paying dividends. Lexi Petit, Chelsea Huffman and Emma Randall are all playing good minutes so far.
While the Arrows do have scorers, it's one of the top defenses in the G-MAC that is carrying the load for Ursuline, as the Arrows give up just 61.1 points per game to date.
Leading Ursuline is head coach Shannon Sword, now entering her 12th season with the Arrows. During her time at Ursuline, Sword has guided the Arrows to two G-MAC regular season titles, two NCAA tournament appearances and a then-G-MAC record of 22 consecutive conference wins. She was also the G-MAC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016.
Scouting Hillsdale
Hillsdale hits the stretch run of the season in a tie for sixth place in the G-MAC – in the tournament field if the 2022-23 campaign ended today but with work to do to secure their spot.
The Chargers face a critical seven game stretch run, made tougher by the fact that Hillsdale has to play the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, Ashland, twice. That makes the other five contests that much more important as Hillsdale looks to assemble a record good enough to make the G-MAC tourney field.
This season, all five starters returned from the 2021-22 team for Hillsdale, 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 sixth place in the G-MAC through 13 games, level with Walsh and a game ahead of Northwood in eighth 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 13-0, with Kentucky Wesleyan a game behind in second place at 12-1. See the full standings here.
- Ashland has a 24-29 edge over Hillsdale in the series between the two teams, though the Eagles have won nine consecutive meetings entering Thursday's contest. Northwood also leads the all-time series with Hillsdale, 25-30, but Hillsdale has won two of the last three meetings, including a 79-76 victory at home earlier this month, on Jan. 5. Against Ursuline, Hillsdale has a 6-5 edge in the series thanks to a 76-63 win over the Arrows at home on Jan. 12.
- Senior Grace Touchette added a special accomplishment in a star-studded career at Hillsdale on Jan. 21, becoming just the sixth Charger women's basketball player to surpass 1,500 points for her career against Trevecca Nazarene. At 1,538for her career entering this weekend, Touchette has passed Charger legend Chelsea Harrison for fifth all-time in career scoring at Hillsdale. Touchette is also fifth all-time at Hillsdale in career assists with 354, third in career 3-pointers made with 211, and fifth in career field goals made with 546.
- This weekend is a big test for Hillsdale as the Chargers face another weekend with a game at home and on the road, in the midst of a dramatic split this season between home and away games. The Chargers are 11-1 in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena and 2-0 in neutral site games, but 0-9 on the road, scoring nearly nine fewer points per game in away contests. Hillsdale has four more chances at a road victory, including this weekend at Ursuline, and likely will need to pick up at least one to secure a G-MAC Tourney berth.
- Senior Sydney Mills became just the 20th player in Chargers women's basketball history to reach an important career milestone two weeks ago, surpassing 1,000 points in Hillsdale's win over Ursuline. Mills is closing in on another milestone as well with 900 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 averaged a double-double for each of the past two seasons 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 20.6 points per game between them through 21 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 59 made 3-pointers through 23 games, Splain has the seventh-most 3-pointers by a Charger in a single season, and has a shot of challenging the single-season record of 89 set by Brittany Gray in 2018-19, Callahan's 45 has her not far behind her teammate and likely to crack the top 10. Splain is on pace to make a run at another record -- the sophomore has 107 made 3-pointers so far in 49 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 have made a dramatic turnaround in taking care of the basketball under head coach Charlie Averkamp. In his third season, Hillsdale is posting the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the G-MAC (1.03) and has the fourth best turnover margin (1.48) of any team in the G-MAC.
- The Chargers currently lead the G-MAC in blocked shots per game with 3.24, 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.
Photo by Charles Miller