In an afternoon contest where the Hillsdale College women's basketball team struggled shooting from the floor, the Chargers scrapped and clawed to give themselves a chance late, but couldn't seal the deal in a 71-65 loss to visiting Cedarville.
The Chargers trailed for the majority of the contest, although Hillsdale kept it close through, and were down 63-58 with 1:38 to play. But Hillsdale rallied, getting a transition and-one by freshman Carly Callahan and a layup by senior Grace Touchette in under a minute to tie the game at 63 with 53 seconds to play.
Hillsdale couldn't get the final stop it needed, however. Cedarville's Abby Freeman hit a 3-pointer with 42 seconds to go to put the Yellowjackets back out in front, and Hillsdale's attempt to answer at the other end didn't fall. Cedarville went 5 of 6 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds to clinch the victory.
Hillsdale shot just 37.3 percent from the floor and 25 percent from 3-point range in the loss, but committed just eight turnovers and held Cedarville to just 37 percent from the floor and 33 percent from 3-point range to stay in contact. Touchette led the way for the Chargers with 21 points and seven rebounds on 9 of 17 shotting, and junior Sydney Mills added 15 points, six rebounds and two assists.
Callahan had another huge game off the bench for Hillsdale, scoring 11 points and grabbing five rebounds, sophomore Dani Salenbien chipped in six points, six rebounds and three blocks, and Peighton Nelson added four points, four rebounds, eight assists and four steals.
Neither team led by more than 10 points in a close contest that included 16 lead changes. Cedarville's slight edge at the 3-point line (nine makes to Hillsdale's seven) and in the paint (34 points in the paint to Hillsdale's 26) proved to be just enough to prevail.
Hillsdale is now 11-8 on the year and 8-5 in conference play, preserving a half-game lead over both Cedarville and Malone in the standings. The Chargers head into a critical week with back to back matchups against Findlay, the only G-MAC team Hillsdale has yet to play. The Oilers travel to Hillsdale on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. tip, and the Chargers will turn around and head to Findlay on Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest. With a tight race between four teams for just three spots in the G-MAC Tournament in March, every contest is critical for the Chargers over the final month of the season, and both games will play a critical role in Hillsdale's tournament push.
Photo by Summer Fields