The Hillsdale College women's basketball team didn't let a bad loss linger on Saturday, following up their worst performance of the season on Thursday night with one of their best in a 77-56 road win over Trevecca Nazarene.
The Chargers seized control of the game early, opening by outscoring the host Trojans 23-8 in the first quarter with solid shooting and pressure defense. Trevecca closed the gap slightly in the second quarter, but Hillsdale came out firing in the third quarter, stretching the lead out by another eight points to all but put the game away.
A balanced offensive performance with four players in double figures helped pave the way for Hillsdale's success. Senior guard Grace Touchette continued her strong early start with a game-high 20 points and four steals, while freshman guard Peighton Nelson matched her career high with 14 points and also chipped in three rebounds and two assists.
Junior Sydney Mills finished one rebound shy of her third double-double double of the season, with 10 points and nine rebounds for the Chargers, and sophomore Dani Salenbien added 10 points, five rebounds and three assists as well. Freshmen Carly Callahan and Caitlin Splain each chipped in six ponits off the bench for Hillsdale.
Aggression at both ends of the floor helped the Chargers come out victorious. Hillsdale forced Trevecca into 20 turnovers, and also got to the foul line for 22 attempts, making 18, while Trevecca went just 2 of 3 from the line.
Now 3-4 overall and 1-1 in G-MAC play, Hillsdale returns home on Thursday for a contest against Ohio Dominican (1-5, 1-1), which picked up its first win of the season this Saturday in a 61-57 defeat of Tiffin.
Photo by Mark Pierce