A tough home loss in the Hillsdale College women's basketball team's only game last week still leaves the Chargers in a good place overall with 11 Great Midwest Athletic Conference games in the book.
If the Chargers can bounce back this week, they'll be able to gain critical separation on the teams below them in the G-MAC standings and move one step closer to locking up the team's first G-MAC tournament berth since the 2018-19 season. It won't come easily against two solid teams, with one of the games on the road.
The Chargers hit the road to Columbus on Thursday to take on Ohio Dominican, then return home for a Saturday match-up with Cedarville on Saturday. The Saturday game is also Hillsdale's annual Coaches vs Cancer Suits and Sneakers game, where both teams' coaches will be dressing up to raise awareness about cancer prevention, screening and early detection.
You can attend the games by purchasing tickets at the links below, or follow along online with free webcasts for both contests that are also linked below.
Schedule
Hillsdale (10-7, 7-4 G-MAC) at Ohio Dominican (3-15, 3-9 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 27 | Alumni Hall | Columbus, OH
Cedarville (11-6, 6-5 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (10-7, 7-4 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 29 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs ODU | Webcast vs ODU | Tickets vs ODU | Live Stats vs Cedarville | Webcast vs Cedarville | Tickets vs Cedarville
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | ODU Roster | Cedarville Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 ODU Stats | 2021-22 Cedarville Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Dani Salenbien, So., G, Adrian, MI/Lenawee Christian (7.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.1 apg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (17.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.7 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (12.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2 apg); #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 (7.8 ppg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 spg)
ODU: #10 Kennedy Schlabach, Jr., G, Millersburg, OH/Berlin Hiland (14.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.1 spg); #15 Bailey Williams, Sr., G, Dublin, OH/Jerome/Binghamton (13.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.2 spg); #22 Gabby Stare, Fr., G, Newark, OH/Newark (13.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 spg); #23 Brynn Mullet, Fr., G, Berlin, OH/Hiland (8.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg); #32 Grace Hete, So., G/F, Akron, OH/Revere (2.1 ppg)
Cedarville: #0 Emily Chapman, Sr., G, Proctorville, OH/Fairland (15.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 1 bpg); #4 Paige Garr, Jr. G, Goshen, IN/Goshen (12.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg); #23 Lydia Sweeney, So., G, Grand Island, NY/Grand Island (7.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 spg); #24 Allison Mader, Sr., G, Tipp City, OH/Tippecanoe (10.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg); #44 Lexi Moore, Sr., F, Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek (4.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
Ohio Dominican: The record isn't pretty, but the Panthers have been more competitive in January and are starting to look more like the team people expected them to be, with wins over Lake Erie and Ursuline and close losses to Malone and Tiffin in the last three weeks.
Despite a difficult start, the core of a G-MAC contender still exists for ODU in its high-scoring three-guard rotation of 2020-21 All-G-MAC first teamer Kennedy Schlabach, 2020-21 G-MAC Freshman of the Year Gabby Stare and Binghamton transfer Bailey Williams. All three have been excellent in the month of January.
The loss of Olivia Fox leaves a big hole in the post for an already undersized team, however, and ODU needs to sort out its offense. The Panthers were the second-best team in the G-MAC in scoring offense in 2020-21, averaging 80.1 points per game, but are averaging just 58.3 points per game in 2021-22, currently 10th in the conference.
Ohio Dominican is coached by Lynsey Warren, who's had an accomplished 10-year run leading the Panthers, including four seasons of 18 or more wins in the last six campaigns.
Cedarville: The Yellowjackets have done an admirable job of overcoming an extreme slate of injuries, losing the services of 2020-21 first team All-G-MAC player Isabelle Bolender, starter Makenna Fee and top substitute Anne Wheeler early in the season but, at 6-5 in conference play, still remaining in the hunt for a G-MAC tournament berth.
Even without those three injured players, Cedarville is still an extremely tough out. The Yellowjackets can lean on another 2020-21 first team All-G-MAC player in guard Emily Chapman, and Paige Garr and Allison Mader also have been excellent scoring options this season. Post Lexi Moore also has flourished after being thrust into a larger role after the injuries.
Cedarville and Hillsdale are the top two contenders currently to grab the conference's fourth seed and a home game in the G-MAC tournament quarterfinal. Although the Yellowjackets are just a game behind the Chargers in the G-MAC standings, Hillsdale currently has the head-to-head against Cedarville thanks to an 80-74 road win in December, and has just two games left against the top three teams in the G-MAC, while Cedarville still has to play Ashland, Walsh and Kentucky Wesleyan a combined three times. That makes Saturday's contest close to a must-win for the Yellowjackets to keep themselves in the hunt.
In his first season as head coach of the Yellowjackets is Jason Smith, who comes to Cedarville off an impressive run at Bryan College in Tennessee, where he led the Lions to five Appalachian Athletic Conference titles and six appearances in the NAIA Division II National Tournament.
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 7-4 record in 11 conference games and a 10-7 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.
- Hillsdale tied up the all-time series against Ohio Dominican at 10 wins apiece with a 78-63 home victory on Dec. 9, snapping a three-game losing streak to ODU in the process. The Chargers also ended a three-game losing streak to Cedarville with a 80-74 win on Dec. 11, though Hillsdale still trails the Yellowjackets in the all-time series 6-3 entering Saturday's contest.
- 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 has scored in double figures in all 17 of Hillsdale's games. A dominant all-around player in 2021-22 to date, Touchette currently ranks third in the G-MAC in assists per game (3.7), fourth in scoring (17.4 points per game), fourth in 3-point shooting percentage (.392), fifth in 3-pointers made (2.4), fifth in free throw percentage (.790), eighth in blocks per game (0.7) and third in assist to turnover ratio (2.2) 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 10.5 rebounds in 17 games to lead the G-MAC so far, and also chipping in 12.5 points per game. Mills has seven double-doubles on the season and was named G-MAC Player of the Week earlier in the campaign.
- Senior Lauren Daffenberg enters the season already entrenched high on the Chargers' all-time 3-pointers made list. Daffenberg is 4th in Hillsdale history in career made 3-pointers with 184, passing Jenn Carlson (2003-07) in the Chargers' most recent game against Kentucky Wesleyan. The record-holder for Hillsdale is Chelsea Harrison, with 237 made 3-pointers in her career. Senior Grace Touchette is seventh on the list with 160 made 3-pointers, six behind Jodie Haines (2003-7) for sixth place on the list.
- Junior Arianna Sysum has been impressively efficient offensively for the Chargers so far this season. The Eaton Rapids, Michigan native is 61 for 89 in field goals this season, shooting at a 68.5 percent clip. If Sysum can maintain that average over the Chargers' final 11 games and potential postseason run, she'd shatter Hillsdale's single season record for field goal percentage of 61 percent set by Megan Fogt in the 2013-14 season.
- 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 and currently sitting ninth in the G-MAC with 3.4 assists per game. 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.