Schedule
Hillsdale (15-12, 8-9 G-MAC) at Malone (19-6, 13-4 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 16 | Osborne Hall | Canton, OH
Hillsdale (15-12, 8-9 G-MAC) at #1 Ashland (25-0, 17-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 18 | Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, OH
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Malone Roster | Ashland Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Malone Stats | Ashland Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #4 Peighton Nelson, So., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (5.1 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.4 spg); #5 Sydney Mills, Sr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (10.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg); #10 Carly Callahan, So., G/F, Columbus, OH/Hilliard Bradley (8.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg);#22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (14.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.1 apg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Sr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (6.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
Malone: #10 Alexis Hutchison, Sr., G, Centerville, OH/Centerville (18.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.6 apg, 2 spg); #12 Emma Kallas, Sr., F, Waukesha, WI/Martin Luther (12.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg); #22 Kyli Horn, So., G, Millersburg, OH/Hiland (8.1 ppg); #25 Brooklyn Troyer, So., G, Apple Creek, OH/Waynedale (9.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg); #33 Erin Kaufman, Fr., F, Glandorf, OH/Ottawa Glandorf (12.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1 spg)
Ashland: #3 Morgan Yoder, So., G, Dundee, OH/Berlin Hiland (5.3 ppg, 3.4 apg); #10 Hallie Heidemann, Sr., G, Cincinnati, OH/McAuley (12 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3 apg, 1.8 spg); #20 Maddie Maloney, Sr., G, St. Johns, MI/St. Johns/Saginaw Valley St. (6.7 ppg, 3 apg); #33 Hayley Smith, So., F, Canton, OH/St. Thomas Aquinas (12.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg); #42 Annie Roshak, Sr., F, North Canton, OH/Hoover (13.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Malone: Possibly the biggest surprise team in the G-MAC so far this season, Malone has already locked up a top four finish and the right to host a quarterfinal in the G-MAC Tournament 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 over 12 points and 7 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 scoring offense and sitting in third in scoring defense.
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.
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.
Scouting Hillsdale
Hillsdale is closing in on its first G-MAC Tournament berth since 2019, but there's work left to do with three tough games on the road remaining.
The Chargers currently sit in a tie for sixth place and have a two and a half game lead on Cedarville for the eighth and final spot, meaning their magic number to clinch a tourney berth is two – any combination of Hillsdale wins and Yellow Jacket losses that add up to two will do the trick.
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 three-way tie for sixth place in the G-MAC through 17 games, level with Walsh and Ursuline and a half-game behind Northwood for fifth 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 17-0, with Kentucky Wesleyan two games behind in second place at 15-2. See the full standings here.
- Hillsdale is all even with Malone 8-8 in the all-time series between the two teams after the Pioneers took a 72-60 victory at Hillsdale on Jan. 7 earlier this season. Ashland leads the all-time series with Hillsdale 24-30 and have won 10 straight in the series, with Hillsdale's last win over the Eagles coming on Jan. 25, 2014 in an 82-72 final.
- 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 1,601 for 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 364, third in career 3-pointers made with 217, and fifth in career field goals made with 569.
- 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 950 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, and a two-time G-MAC Player of the Week in 2022-23, Mills has averaged a double-double for each of the past three seasons and has 10 double-doubles so far in 2022-23.
- While many of Hillsdale's starters are upperclassmen, a quintet 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 18.7 points per game between them through 27 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. Air Force transfer Lauren McDonald has joined the group this season and is adding scoring punch of her own, with 6.3 points per game in 15.5 minutes of action.
- Splain is on an impressive trajectory from beyond the arc – with 66 made 3-pointers through 27 games, Splain has the sixth-most 3-pointers by a Charger in a single season. Splain is on pace to make a run at another record -- the sophomore has 114 made 3-pointers so far in 53 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 fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the G-MAC (1.04) and has the fourth best turnover margin (1.12) of any team in the G-MAC.
- The Chargers currently lead the G-MAC in blocked shots per game with 3.20, 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 Summer Fields