The Hillsdale College women's basketball team has hit a rough patch of late, with three straight losses, all in games where the Chargers were within four points late in the fourth quarter.
But the Chargers still are in a solid position in the G-MAC standings thanks to a strong first half of the season, and have time to turn things around with an equally strong finish.
The path for Hillsdale begins this weekend on the road, starting with a Malone team on Thursday that has jumped past the Chargers in the G-MAC standings. A victory would push Hillsdale back past the Pioneers in the standings heading into a low-risk, high potential reward contest at G-MAC title contender Walsh on Saturday.
You can follow along with the action at our livestream links below, or attend the games by purchasing tickets, also linked below.
Schedule
Hillsdale (11-10, 8-7 G-MAC) at Malone (11-8, 7-6 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 10 | Osborn Hall | Canton, OH
Hillsdale (11-10, 8-7 G-MAC) at Walsh (19-3, 14-2 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 12 | Cecchini Center | North Canton, OH
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Malone | Webcast vs Malone | Tickets vs Malone | Live Stats vs Walsh | Webcast vs Walsh | Tickets vs Walsh
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Malone Roster | Walsh Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Malone Stats | 2021-22 Walsh Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #21 Lauren Daffenberg, Sr., G, Yorkville, IL/Yorkville (4.2 ppg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (17.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (12.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (7.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg); #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (7.5 ppg, 3.6 apg, 1.3 spg)
Malone: #2 Holly Groff, Sr., G, Macedonia, OH/Nordonia (14.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg); #4 Robin Campbell, Sr., G, Alliance, OH/Marlington (13.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.5 spg); #10 Alexis Hutchison, Jr., G, Centerville, OH/Centerville (12.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 spg); #12 Emma Kallas, Jr., G/F, Waukesha, WI/Martin Luther (8.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg); #14 Kelsey Swihart, Fr., F, Sugarcreek, OH/Hiland (6.5 ppg)
Walsh: #15 Lexie Scarton, Sr., G, Middleburg Heights, OH/Berea Midpark (7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.6 spg); #20 Sha Carter, Sr., G/F, Southfield, MI/Wylie E. Groves (18.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.2 spg); #21 Morgan McMillen, Sr., G, New Philadelphia, OH/Berlin Hiland (15 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 spg); #22 Mayci Sales, Sr., F, Massillon, OH/Tuslaw (15 ppg, 7.9 rpg); #24 Megan Ball, G/F, Sr., Waterford, OH/Waterford (7 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Walsh: The preseason favorite to win the G-MAC title, the Cavaliers are the closest challenger right now to undefeated and No. 2 ranked Ashland in the conference race at 14-2 in G-MAC play.
Walsh is an experienced and talented squad, led by 2019-20 G-MAC Player of the Year Sha Carter and three-time first-team All-G-MAC player Mayci Sales. The two players give the Cavaliers size and length at their positions that few teams in the G-MAC can match, and are also high-level scorers.
In her second season with Walsh after transferring from Bowling Green, sharpshooter Morgan McMillen has taken a big step forward to emerge as a complimentary scoring threat to Carter and Sales, and Lexie Scarton remains a steady hand to run the offense for the Cavaliers.
Walsh remains tough at both ends of the floor – currently second in the G-MAC in scoring (78.5 ppg) and third in scoring defense (59.9 ppg). The Cavaliers also are strong on the glass – they're the top offensive rebounding team in the G-MAC and second in defensive rebounds.
Walsh is coached by Kate Bruce, in her sixth season with the Cavaliers. Under Bruce's guidance, Walsh has won two G-MAC titles, made three NCAA Tournament appearances, set and reset the program record for wins in a season, and become a fixture in the Division II Women's Top 25 polls.
Malone: Picked to finish out of the running for the G-MAC tournament, Malone has exceeded expectations so far, currently residing in fourth in the standings and in position to potentially host a G-MAC Tournament game.
The core of Malone's team revolves around its experienced guard corps. Seniors Holly Groff and Robin Campbell have been perennial All-G-MAC players throughout their careers, and junior Alexis Hutchinson adds to that group to give Malone a devastating offensive attack from outside.
Emma Kallas has also been effective as a starter, but finding consistent scoring off the bench to pair with that strong core has been a challenge at times for Malone, as has getting games in with multiple reschedules over the past month.
The Pioneers are efficient offensively – sitting third in the G-MAC in field goal percentage with 48.1 through 19 games, as well as fourth in scoring with 71.2 points per game – but are just 10th in rebounding margin, and seventh in the league in scoring defense.
The head coach at Malone is Selana Reale, who is entering her fourth season at the helm of the Pioneers. A former player and successful assistant at Malone, Reale led the Pioneers to back-to-back winning seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and earned G-MAC Coach of the Year honors in 2018-19.
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 8-7 record in 15 conference games and a 11-10 mark overall against tough competition. That's put Hillsdale in position to potentially earn one of the six G-MAC Tournament bids with a solid finish in the month of February.
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.
- Walsh has an 11- 7 record in the all-time season series against Hillsdale, and have won seven straight, including a 103-64 victory on Jan. 6 of this year. The Chargers' last win against Walsh came on Dec. 9, 2017, in an 87-74 contest. Hillsdale leads the series with Malone, 8-6, having snapped a four game winning streak by the Pioneers with a 91-61 victory on Jan. 8.
- 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 21 of Hillsdale's games. A dominant all-around player in 2021-22 to date, Touchette currently ranks second in the G-MAC in scoring (17.4 points per game), seventh in assists per game (3.4), fourth in 3-point shooting percentage (.355), seventh in 3-pointers made per game (2.2), eighth in free throw percentage (.779), 10th in blocks per game (0.6) and second 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 10.5 rebounds in 20 games to lead the G-MAC so far, and sitting tied for 21st in NCAA Division II in the stat. She also chips in 12.5 points per game. Mills has eight 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 192, seven 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 tied for sixth on the list with 166 made 3-pointers, even with Jodie Haines (2003-07).
- Junior Arianna Sysum has been impressively efficient offensively for the Chargers so far this season. The Eaton Rapids, Michigan native is 66 for 102 in field goals this season, shooting at a 64.7 percent clip. If Sysum can maintain that average over the Chargers' final seven 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.