Preview: Chargers look to clinch G-MAC Tourney berth with strong final week

Feb 22, 2022

For the first time in three seasons, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team enters the final weekend of the regular season with high stakes.

The Chargers are part of a four-team race for the final two G-MAC Tournament berths -- and the margins between being in and out are razor-thin with so many teams packed close together in the standings.

Hillsdale can help its cause greatly on Thursday at home by finishing off a regular-season sweep of visiting Tiffin. That victory would give the Chargers another quality win to boost their resume, while handing a critical loss to one of the teams battling Hillsdale for a qualifying berth.

Then, on Saturday, the Chargers travel to league leader Ashland in a contest with very little to lose and everything to gain -- while a huge challenge, an upset of the Eagles would almost certainly punch their ticket to the G-MAC Tourney.

You can follow along with all the action on the Great Midwest Digital Network at the links below. You'll also find ticket links to both contests if you want to come cheer the Chargers on in person.

Schedule

Tiffin (12-13, 9-10 G-MAC) at Hillsdale (13-12, 10-9 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Feb. 24 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI

Hillsdale (13-12, 10-9 G-MAC) at Ashland (23-2, 18-1 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Feb. 26 | Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, Ohio

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Additional Info

Projected Starters

Hillsdale: #21 Lauren Daffenberg, Sr., G, Yorkville, IL/Yorkville (5.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg); #22 Grace Touchette, Sr., G, Northfield, MN/Northfield (16.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.4 apg); #5 Sydney Mills, Jr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (12.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg); #32 Arianna Sysum, Jr., F, Eaton Rapids, MI/Eaton Rapids (8 ppg, 4.6 rpg); #4 Peighton Nelson, Fr., G, Cottage Grove, WI/Monona Grove (8.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.3 spg)

Tiffin: #2 Aarion Nichols, Sr., G, Cleveland Heights, OH/Cleveland Heights (16.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.7 spg); #10 Savannah Richards, Jr., G, Findlay, OH/Liberty-Benton (9.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.5 spg); #15 Dana Rose, Fr., F, Fort Loramie, OH/Fort Loramie (8.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 spg); #23 Jada Tate, Jr., F, Pickerington, OH/Central (10.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg); #24 Kirsten Williams, Jr., G, Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek (7.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

Ashland: #10 Hallie Heidemann, Sr., G, Cincinnati, OH/McAuley (12.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.6 spg); #21 Macy Spielman, So., G, Upper Arlington, OH/Upper Arlington/Bowling Green (13 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1 spg); #22 Sydney Jacobsen, So., G, West Lafayette, IN/Harrison (5.3 ppg, 3 apg); #25 Karlee Pireu, Sr., F, Massillon, OH/Perry (13.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.5 spg); #42 Annie Roshak, Jr., F, North Canton, OH/Hoover (17.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.7 spg, 1 bpg)

Scouting the Opposition

Tiffin: Coming off a dream end to the 2020-21 season that saw the Dragons capture the G-MAC tournament title as the fifth seed and reach the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 for the first time in program history, it's been an up-and-down season so far for the Dragons.

Tiffin struggled out of the gate, opening the year 3-5, and have had inconsistent results all season to get to 12-13. The Dragons have a win over Kentucky Wesleyan and took both the top two teams in the league, Ashland and Walsh, to overtime, but also have losses to G-MAC basement-dwellers Trevecca Nazarene and Ohio Dominican

The Dragons are an excellent defensive team, holding opponents to just 63 points per game. That defensive effort gives Tiffin a window to grind down opposing teams with an offense that's more effective than flashy, averaging just 63.6 points per game.

With a bona-fide star in Aarion Nichols, and solid supporting scoring from post Jada Tate and guard Savannah Richards, success for the Dragons often depends on threading that fine line of both locking down teams defensively and getting enough scoring to stay in front in close contests. It's what worked for Tiffin during last season's run, and it's been the formula for the Dragons in their wins this year.

Tiffin is coached by Mirian Justinger, who is in her second season after leading the Dragons to one of their best campaigns in program history in 2020-21. A Bowling Green alumnus, Justinger spent two seasons as Tiffin's lead assistant before taking over the head role last season.

Ashland: A national power with two NCAA DII titles and two runner-up finishes in the last decade, Ashland has lived up to the hype in its first season in the G-MAC, sitting just two wins away from locking up at least a share of its first regular season title.

The Eagles return four starters from a team that reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament last year, led by the post tandem of Annie Roshak and Karlee Pireu, who each earned first-team All-GLIAC honors in 2020-21. Roshak in particular is tough to stop and is playing like a legitimate G-MAC Player of the Year candidate so far.

Ashland also has an experienced lead guard running the show in Hallie Heideman, now in her third year as a starter. Dependable sophomore Sydney Jacobsen and dynamic Bowling Green transfer Macy Spielman round out the starting lineup, while Hayley Smith and Erin Daniels give the Eagles good options off the bench.

The Eagles combine the G-MAC's second-best scoring offense (79 points per game) with the conference's best scoring defense (58.3). Ashland is the second-most efficient team in the league shooting from both 2-point range and 3-point range, and boast the league's best turnover margin (5.40).

Ashland is coached by alumnus and former standout Kari Pickens, who entered her fourth season this year with a 76-12 record and two GLIAC Tournament titles in her first three seasons. As a player, Pickens was named the Honda Sports DII Female Athlete of the Year after leading Ashland to its first national championship in program history in 2012-13.

Scouting Hillsdale

Picked to finish 11^th 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 13-12 overall and 10-9 in the G-MAC, are still in position to potentially make the G-MAC tournament with a solid final week.

The Chargers returned 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 11^th in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour, in line with their 11^th place finish in 2020-21. Hillsdale was picked to finish ahead of Lake Erie in 12^th 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.

Ashland has a 29-24 edge over Hillsdale in an all-time series that dates back to 1988 and includes several run-ins during both teams' shared membership in the GLIAC in the 90's and 2000s. The Eagles have won eight straight over Hillsdale, with the Chargers' last win in the series coming in an 82-72 victory on Jan. 25, 2014. Hillsdale has a 20-10 lead over Tiffin in their all-time series, and snapped a three-game Dragon winning streak with a 72-63 road win on Jan. 15.
The top four spots in the G-MAC Tournament are all but set, with Ashland, Walsh, Kentucky Wesleyan and Cedarville carrying a substantial advantage in the G-MAC Point Rating System that will determine the field. That leaves Hillsdale, Findlay, Malone and Tiffin battling for the final two spots in the six-team field this season. A win over the Dragons on Thursday doesn't necessarily guarantee Hillsdale a spot, but it would go a long way to shoring up the Chargers' resume and create several scenarios where Hillsdale could find itself in the field. A loss almost certainly knocks the Chargers out of the running.
Senior Grace Touchette became just the 19^th 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 24 of Hillsdale's 25 games. A dominant all-around player in 2021-22 to date, Touchette currently ranks fifth in the G-MAC in scoring (16.7 points per game), sixth in assists per game (3.4), sixth in 3-point shooting percentage (.329), eighth in 3-pointers made per game (2), sixth in free throw percentage (.798), 12th in blocks per game (0.6) and third in assist to turnover ratio (1.9) despite playing in nearly five fewer minutes per game compared to 2020-21. Her 1,212 career points are 12^th all-time in Hillsdale history, and she became the first Charger to be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team since Megan Fogt in 2015 with her recognition last week.
With 14 rebounds against Trevecca Nazarene on Monday, Sydney Mills, moved into the top 10 all-time at Hillsdale in career rebounds, with 655, tying Michele Smith (1981-84). The junior is averaging 10.6 rebounds in 25 games to lead the G-MAC so far, and is sitting 22^nd in NCAA Division II in the stat. She also chips in 12.6 points per game. Mills has 11 double-doubles on the season and was named G-MAC Player of the Week earlier in the campaign.
Senior Lauren Daffenberg hit a career milestone on Monday with her 200^th career 3-pointer against Trevecca Nazarene. The sharpshooter now has 203 for her career and has moved past former teammate Brittany Gray (2015-19) for third place all-time in made 3-pointers at Hillsdale. The record-holder for Hillsdale is Chelsea Harrison, with 237 made 3-pointers. Senior Grace Touchette is sixth on the list with 171 made 3-pointers as well.
Junior Arianna Sysum has been impressively efficient offensively for the Chargers so far this season. The Eaton Rapids, Michigan native is 78 for 121 on field goals this season, shooting at a 64.5 percent clip. If Sysum can maintain that average over the Chargers' final two 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.