The Hillsdale College women's basketball team is ready for rivalry week, as the Chargers face off against their top rival, Findlay, in back-to-back contests that could prove critical in the G-MAC title race.
Hillsdale welcomes the Oilers to Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena on Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. for a make-up game that was originally scheduled for Dec. 18, then travels to Findlay on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip to conclude the season series.
With both squads in the hunt for a G-MAC tourney berth and looking to improve their positions, a 2-0 week for either could be decisive in determining how the two teams stack up at the end of the regular season.
You can come out and see the Chargers in action this week at the ticket links below, or follow along at home on the Great Midwest Digital Network at streaming webcast links as well.
Schedule
Findlay (7-11, 5-7 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (11-8, 8-5 G-MAC) | 3:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Feb. 2 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale (11-8, 8-5 G-MAC) at Findlay (7-11, 5-7 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 5 | Alumni Hall | Columbus, OH
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Findlay | Webcast vs Findlay | Tickets vs Findlay | Live Stats at Findlay (Feb. 5) | Webcast vs Findlay (Feb. 5) | Tickets vs Findlay (Feb. 5)
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Findlay Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Findlay Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Dani Salenbien, So., G, Adrian, MI/Lenawee Christian (6.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.7 apg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (17.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.4 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (12.3 ppg, 10.6 rpg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (8.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg); #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (7.6 ppg, 3.6 apg, 1.2 spg)
Findlay: #4 Lauren Hapgood, Jr., G, Oakwood, OH/Oakwood/SW Oklahoma St. (5.5 ppg); #13 Bridget Landin, Sr., F, Ottoville, OH/Ottoville (10.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 spg); #23 Sydney Kin, Sr., F/C, Carey, OH/Carey (16.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.1 bpg); #31 Rachel Cooke, Jr., G/F, Thornville, OH/Sheridan (3.1 ppg); #54 Serena Sammarone, Jr., G, Canfield, OH/Canfield (3 ppg)
Scouting the Opposition
Findlay: Shifting lineups due to injuries and other absences, Covid pauses, and other setbacks have made it difficult for the Oilers to live up to the preseason expectations placed on a talented roster.
Despite their struggles, however, Findlay has shown flashes of the team they can be when all the pieces fit together, as a 68-60 win over top G-MAC squad Kentucky Wesleyan on Jan. 20 shows.
The Oilers have an imposing front line headed by an elite centerpiece in 6-3 senior Sydney Kin, a 2020-21 first team All-G-MAC player, and another high quality inside presence in 6-0 senior Bridget Landin.
Finding consistent perimeter play to pair with that front line has been a challenge. The Oilers have cycled through several guards in the starting lineup trying to find the right fit, and will give multiple players a shot in this week's contests.
Findlay has been solid defensively, giving up 68.1 points per game, but improvement offensively will be important for the stretch run, as the Oilers enter Wednesday's contest scoring just 64.6 points per game.
Findlay is coached by Jim Wiedie, who is entering his ninth year in charge of the Oilers, with a 127-92 record during that time. He's guided the Oilers to six winning seasons in the last seven years, including an NCAA DII tournament appearance in 2017-18.
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 an 8-5 record in 13 conference games and a 11-8 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.
- Findlay leads a close and competitive series between the two programs 26-25, thanks to a three-game winning streak in the series dating back to the 2019-20 season. Hillsdale's last win was a 91-72 victory on Dec. 14, 2019.
- 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 19 of Hillsdale's games. A dominant all-around player in 2021-22 to date, Touchette currently ranks fifth in the G-MAC in assists per game (3.4), fourth in scoring (17.5 points per game), fourth in 3-point shooting percentage (.365), sixth in 3-pointers made per game (2.2), seventh in free throw percentage (.785), ninth in blocks per game (0.6) and fourth in assist to turnover ratio (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 10.6 rebounds in 19 games to lead the G-MAC so far, and sitting 20th in NCAA Division II in the stat. She also chips in 12.3 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 186, 13 behind former teammate Brittany Gray (2015-19) for third place. 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 162 made 3-pointers, four 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 62 for 96 in field goals this season, shooting at a 64.6 percent clip. If Sysum can maintain that average over the Chargers' final 9 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 fourth in the G-MAC with 3.6 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.