With a 6-2 record in G-MAC play so far this season, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team has played its way into contention for a home game in the G-MAC Tournament at the end of the season.
But up next for the Chargers is arguably the biggest test on the schedule -- a home contest against Ashland, the fourth-ranked team in the D2SIDA national poll and seventh in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll. The Eagles are the runaway favorite to take home the G-MAC crown with the halfway point in the season approaching, but, while the challenge is immense for Hillsdale, so is the opportunity if the young Chargers can find a way to pull off an upset.
Hillsdale also can't get too caught up in the Eagles, as a tricky road game looms against an always-tough Tiffin squad on Saturday as well.
You can catch all the action with live webcasts on the Great Midwest Digital Sports Network at the links below, or purchase tickets to see the game in person as well.
Schedule
#4/7 Ashland (12-1, 7-0 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (9-5, 6-2 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 13 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale (9-5, 6-2 G-MAC) at Tiffin (5-6, 2-3 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 15 | Gillmor Student Center | Tiffin, OH
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Ashland | Webcast vs Ashland | Tickets vs Ashland | Live Stats vs Tiffin | Webcast vs Tiffin | Tickets vs Tiffin (masks are required for all indoor sporting events on the Tiffin campus)
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ashland Roster | Tiffin Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Ashland Stats | 2021-22 Tiffin Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Dani Salenbien, So., G, Adrian, MI/Lenawee Christian (7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.1 apg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (18 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.9 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (12.9 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1 spg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (8.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg); #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (7.6 ppg, 3.4 apg, 1.2 spg)
Ashland: #10 Hallie Heidemann, Sr., G, Cincinnati, OH/McAuley (13.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.5 spg); #21 Macy Spielman, So., G, Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington/Bowling Green (10.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 sph); #22 Sydney Jacobsen, So., G, West Lafayette, IN/Harrison (5 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1 spg); #25 Karlee Pireu, Sr., F, Massillon, OH/Perry (12 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.4 spg); #42 Annie Roshak, Jr., F, North Canton, OH/Hoover (18.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2 spg)
Tiffin: #2 Aarion Nichols, Sr., G, Cleveland Heights, OH/Cleveland Heights (15.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.3 spg); #10 Savannah Richards, Jr., G, Findlay, OH/Liberty-Benton (8.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2 spg); #15 Dana Rose, Fr., F, Fort Loramie, OH/Fort Loramie (5.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1 spg); #23 Jada Tate, Jr., F, Pickerington, OH/Central (10.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg); #24 Kirsten Williams, Jr., G, Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek (8.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Ashland: A national power with two NCAA DII titles and two runner-up finishes in the last decade, Ashland has lived up to the hype in its first season in the G-MAC, rolling to a 7-0 start and taking a two-game lead over the field in the conference title race.
The Eagles return four starters from a team that reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament last year, led by the post tandem of Annie Roshak and Karlee Pireu, who each earned first-team All-GLIAC honors in 2020-21. Roshak in particular is tough to stop and is playing like a legitimate G-MAC Player of the Year candidate so far.
Ashland also has an experienced lead guard running the show in Hallie Heideman, now in her third year as a starter. Dependable sophomore Sydney Jacobsen and dynamic Bowling Green transfer Macy Spielman round out the starting lineup, while Hayley Smith and Erin Daniels give the Eagles good options off the bench.
The Eagles combine the G-MAC's second-best scoring offense (76.5 points per game) with the conference's best scoring defense (58.2). Ashland is the most efficient team in the league shooting from both 2-point range and 3-point range, and boast the league's best turnover margin (5.38).
Ashland is coached by alumnus and former standout Kari Pickens, who entered her fourth season this year with a 76-12 record and two GLIAC Tournament titles in her first three seasons. As a player, Pickens was named the Honda Sports DII Female Athlete of the Year after leading Ashland to its first national championship in program history in 2012-13.
Tiffin: Coming off a dream end to the 2020-21 season that saw the Dragons capture the G-MAC tournament title as the fifth seed and reach the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 for the first time in program history, it's been an up-and-down season so far for the Dragons.
Tiffin struggled out of the gate, opening the year 3-5, but looked to be rounding into form with wins at Lake Erie and Ursuline and a near-upset of Ashland heading into the Christmas Break. Covid-19 issues post-break kept them from playing three scheduled games in the last two weeks, so whether or not the Dragons can continue to build on that improvement after such a long layoff is one of the biggest questions in the G-MAC as the season approaches the halfway point.
The Dragons are an excellent defensive team, holding opponents to just 61.5 points per game. That defensive effort gives Tiffin a window to grind down opposing teams with an offense that's more effective than flashy, averaging just 61.8 points per game.
With a bona-fide star in Aarion Nichols, and solid supporting scoring from post Jada Tate and guard Savannah Richards, success for the Dragons often depends on threading that fine line of both locking down teams defensively and getting enough scoring to stay in front in close contests. It's what worked for Tiffin during last season's run, and it's what's worked for the Dragons in their win this year.
Tiffin is coached by Mirian Justinger, who is in her second season after leading the Dragons to one of their best campaigns in program history in 2020-21. A Bowling Green alumnus, Justinger spent two seasons as Tiffin's lead assistant before taking over the head role last season.
Scouting Hillsdale
Picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams in the preseason G-MAC standings after a rough showing in 2020-21, the Chargers have been the surprise team of 2021-22 so far, with a 6-2 record in eight conference games and a 9-5 mark overall against tough competition.
The Chargers return four starters from last season's 4-17 team, led by senior Grace Touchette and junior Sydney Mills, both of whom have earned G-MAC Player of the Week honors already this season. Touchette is playing the best all-around basketball of her career so far, leading the team in scoring and placing in the top 10 in the G-MAC in several statistical categories, while Mills has picked up where she left off last year and is once again averaging a double-double as Hillsdale's top post threat.
Fellow returning starters Arianna Sysum and Dani Salenbien have continued to build on promising 2020-21 campaigns this season, while freshman Peighton Nelson also has been an instant impact player, jumping into the starting lineup from the first game and providing significant contributions as a distributor and defender.
The Charger bench has been a strength so far this season. Sharpshooters Caitlin Splain and Lauren Daffenberg provide instant offense from 3-point range off the bench, while Maverick Delp and Carly Callahan have given the team additional post depth and energy as well.
Hillsdale is coached by Charlie Averkamp, who returns for his second season with the Chargers this year, along with two new assistants, Brianna Brennan and Brooke Bailey.
Other Notes
- The Chargers were picked to finish 11th in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour, in line with their 11th place finish in 2020-21. Hillsdale was picked to finish ahead of Lake Erie in 12th place, with two teams tied for ninth just ahead of the Chargers – Trevecca Nazarene and Ursuline. Walsh was picked as the favorite to win the league, with conference newcomer Ashland close behind in second place.
- Ashland has a 29-24 edge over Hillsdale in an all-time series that dates back to 1988 and includes several run-ins during both teams' shared membership in the GLIAC in the 90's and 2000s. The Eagles have won seven straight over Hillsdale, with the Chargers' last win in the series coming in an 82-72 victory on Jan. 25, 2014. Hillsdale has a 19-10 lead over Tiffin in their all-time series, but the Dragons have three straight victories, including both meetings last year.
- Ashland is the second opponent who's ranked in the WBCA DII poll that Hillsdale will face this season. The Chargers also played on the road against ninth-ranked Alaska Anchorage, losing by a narrow margin to the Seawolves in a 69-61 thriller on Nov. 19.
- Senior Grace Touchette became just the 19th player in Hillsdale College history to surpass 1,000 points for her career during a Jan. 2 win over Lake Erie, and scored a career high 25 points in Saturday's 91-61 win over Malone. A dominant all-around player in 2021-22 to date, Touchette currently leads the G-MAC in assists per game (3.9) and is fifth in scoring (18 points per game), ninth in field goal percentage (.527), fifth in 3-point shooting percentage (.398), sixth in 3-pointers made (2.4), eighth in free throw percentage (.796), and second in assist to turnover ratio (2.4) despite playing in nearly five fewer minutes per game compared to 2020-21.
- Junior Sydney Mills had a breakout season as a sophomore, averaging a double-double with 14.8 points and a G-MAC leading 10.4 rebounds per game and earning second-team All-G-MAC honors. She's continuing that strong performance as a junior, averaging 10.8 rebounds in 14 games to sit in second in the G-MAC so far, and also chipping in 12.9 points per game. Mills has six double-doubles on the season and was named G-MAC Player of the Week earlier this season.
- Senior Lauren Daffenberg enters the season already entrenched high on the Chargers' all-time 3-pointers made list. Daffenberg is tied for 4th in Hillsdale history in career made 3-pointers with 183, even with Jenn Carlson (2003-07). The record-holder for the Chargers is Chelsea Harrison, with 237 made 3-pointers in her career. Senior Grace Touchette is also ninth on the list with 153 made 3-pointers, one behind former teammate Jaycie Burger for eighth place.
- While two seniors are working their way up the career list for made 3-pointers, freshman Caitlin Splain also is impressing from deep. With 38 made 3-pointers through 14 games, she's on pace for 76 on the season – which would be the third-most in a single season in program history. While there's a long way to go, it's an impressive start to her career at Hillsdale.
- Another freshman, Peighton Nelson, has been a mainstay in the lineup for the Chargers at point guard, starting from the first game of the season. If Nelson can stay healthy and continue to perform, she could become the first freshman to start every game of the season for Hillsdale since another past star point guard, Ashlyn Landherr, appeared in all 25 games in 2012-13 for the Chargers.