With two weeks left in the season for the Hillsdale College women's basketball team, there's still plenty to play for, with a shot at hosting a G-MAC Tournament game.
The Chargers head into a four-game homestand over the next eight days looking to take care of business and set themselves up as best as possible in the G-MAC standings as the end of the season approaches.
On Saturday, Hillsdale also is celebrating Senior Day and Alumni Day for the home contest against Lake Erie. The Chargers will honor their two graduating seniors, Lauren Daffenberg and Sophia Pierce, before the start of Saturday's contest, and also will be welcoming back alumni from throughout the program's 40-pus year history for festivitites surrounding the game.
You can attend all three contests in person by purchasing tickets at the links below. All three games can also be streamed live on the web, and there are links to follow along with live stats as well below.
Schedule
Ursuline (10-13, 7-11 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (11-12, 8-9 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 17 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Lake Erie (2-22, 1-17 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (11-12, 8-9 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 19 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Trevecca Nazarene (4-19, 3-14 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (11-12, 8-9 G-MAC) | 5 p.m. ET Monday, Feb. 21 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Ursuline | Webcast vs Ursuline | Tickets vs Ursuline | Live Stats vs Lake Erie | Webcast vs Lake Erie | Tickets vs Lake Erie | Live Stats vs Trevecca | Webcast vs Trevecca | Tickets vs Trevecca
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Ursuline Roster | Lake Erie Roster | Trevecca Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Ursuline Stats | 2021-22 Lake Erie Stats | 2021-22 Trevecca Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #21 Lauren Daffenberg, Sr., G, Yorkville, IL/Yorkville (4.5 ppg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (17 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.1 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (12.7 ppg, 10.6 rpg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg); #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (8.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg)
Ursuline: #3 Patience Ashaolu, Jr., G, Clinton, PA/West Allegheny (6.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg); #4 Rebekah Green, Sr., G, Jackson, OH/Jackson (15.7 ppg, 1.4 spg); #5 Madison Cloonan, So., G, Kirtland, OH/Cornerstone Christian (12 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg); #20 Michaela Cloonan, So., G, Kirtland, OH/Cornerstone Christian (17 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 2.3 spg); #32 Alyssa Evans, G, Jr., Amanda, OH/Amanda-Clearcreek (12.9 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1.2 spg)
Lake Erie: #1 Lainey Billing, Sr., G, Columbus, OH/Bishop Watterson (9.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.4 apg); #10 Lauren Flannery, Jr., G, Hannibal, OH/River (10.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.3 apg); #15 Taylor Thomas, Fr., G, Marshallville, OH/Chippewa (6 ppg); #31 Angela Fink, Jr., G, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (2.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.6 apg); #32 Breanna Bauer, Sr., F, Port Huron, MI/Northern (12.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
Trevecca: #34 Shelby Jane Petty, Jr., G, Hartsville, TN/Trousdale County (2.4 ppg); #24 Keeley Carter, So., G, Lafayette, TN/Macon County (17.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg); #23 Bayleigh Carmichel, Jr., G, Jonesborough, TN/Daniel Boone (10.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg); #13 Alex McFarlin, Jr., G, White House, TN/Heritage/Vol State CC (6.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg); #45 Emma Palmer, Fr., Fr., F, Mount Juliet, TN/Mount Juliet (12.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
Scouting the Opposition
Ursuline: Although cooled off from a hot start, the Arrows have remained competitive in the G-MAC despite injuries and absences giving Ursuline an extremely short rotation throughout the season.
The Arrows have boasted an above-average offense in the league so far, averaging 69.5 points per game. In their second seasons, sisters Madison and Michaela Cloonan have made a big leap as offensive threats to round out a potent starting lineup, alongside veterans Bekah Green and Alyssa Evans.
Depth was a concern early in the year, as Ursuline has been hit hard by injuries and other absences this season and in many contests have used only one substitute, including twice playing all five starters every minute of the game. Recent healthy returns to action by several players have mitigated the depth issue somewhat, but a more persistent problem is the Arrows' defense, which ranks 10th in the G-MAC at 72.6 points per game.
Leading Ursuline is head coach Shannon Sword, now entering her 12th season with the Arrows. During her time at Ursuline, Sword has guided the Arrows to two G-MAC regular season titles, two NCAA tournament appearances and a then-G-MAC record of 22 consecutive conference wins. She was also the G-MAC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016.
Lake Erie: The Storm went through a rough stretch this season but have been more competitive lately, including picking up their first conference victory of the year in a 69-62 victory over Ohio Dominican last Saturday.
Returning second team All-G-MAC center Breanna Bauer gives the Storm a credible offensive threat to build around in the post, and Lainey Billing and Lauren Flannery are experienced guards. The team badly misses junior guard Sydney Wyngarden, who's appeared in just three games so far and with 11.7 ppg gives the Storm offensive punch from the perimeter they lack in her absence.
Lake Erie is scoring both the fewest points (57.3 ppg) and conceding the most points (76.2 ppg) of any G-MAC squad to date, though both numbers have improved in the last month.
The Storm are coached by Mackenzie Perttu, who is entering her third season in charge after leading the Storm to a 10-19 record and a G-MAC tournament berth in 2019-20, and a 3-18 record last year. Prior to taking over, Perttu was an assistant with Lake Erie, following a successful college basketball career at Michigan Tech.
Trevecca: The Trojans have had a difficult season overall in 2021-22, but the back half of the schedule has been kinder to the Trojans, with three of their four wins coming since the first of the New Year.
On paper, Trevecca has the playmaking guards and outside shooting to give opponents serious trouble. Sophomore guard Keeley Carter is an offensive threat at every level, while fellow guards Bayleigh Carmichael and Alex McFarlin both have the 3-point shooting ability to put up a lot of points in a hurry if they catch fire. Hillsdale knows this all too well after the trio combined for nine 3-pointers in the Chargers' 77-56 road victory over the Trojans in December.
Six-foot-two freshman Emma Palmer gives Trevecca some inside-outside balance and a threat in the post as well. While there's potential, the Trojans have lacked consistency at both ends of the floor, ranking 10th in the G-MAC in scoring offense (60.6) and last in scoring defense (75.9).
Taking care of the ball has been a huge issue for Trevecca, as the Trojans are dead last in both turnover margin and assist to turnover ratio in the G-MAC. It's an area that will have to improve as Trevecca looks to make a late-season push.
Trevecca Nazarene is coached by Chad Hibdon, who enters his sixth season in charge of the Trojans. Hibdon has led Trevecca to two of the past three G-MAC Tournaments.
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 played well above that prediction, and at 11-12 overall and 8-9 in the G-MAC, are still in position to potentially make the G-MAC tournament with a strong finish.
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 Lauren Daffenberg has provided an outside shooting lift and 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. Sharpshooter Caitlin Splain provides 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's all-time series against Ursuline, is tied with each time having won five games, and the Chargers snapped a four-game losing streak to the Arrows earlier this season with an 89-79 road win on Dec. 31, 2021. The Chargers have performed better against Lake Erie, with a 14-6 edge in the series, including a 78-66 win at Lake Erie on Jan. 2, 2022, and against Trevecca, where Hillsdale has a 5-3 lead in the all-time series, and have now won three straight against the Trojans, including a 77-56 victory on Dec. 4 2021 earlier this season.
- 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 22 of Hillsdale's 23 games. A dominant all-around player in 2021-22 to date, Touchette currently ranks fourth in the G-MAC in scoring (17 points per game), ninth in assists per game (3.1), seventh in 3-point shooting percentage (.329), seventh in 3-pointers made per game (2.1), sixth in free throw percentage (.805), 10th in blocks per game (0.6) and fifth in assist to turnover ratio (1.7) 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 23 games to lead the G-MAC so far, and sitting tied for 20th in NCAA Division II in the stat. She also chips in 12.7 points per game. Mills has 10 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 196, three 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 sixth on the list with 168 made 3-pointers, having just passed Jodie Haines (2003-07) and her 166 made 3s this past weekend.
- Junior Arianna Sysum has been impressively efficient offensively for the Chargers so far this season. The Eaton Rapids, Michigan native is 70 for 110 on field goals this season, shooting at a 63.6 percent clip. If Sysum can maintain that average over the Chargers' final fivegames 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.