The Hillsdale College women's basketball game made a late push but couldn't battle back in a hard-fought 55-45 loss to visiting Saginaw Valley State on Tuesday night at home.
The Chargers trailed the Cardinals by as many as 15 points in the second half and were down 12 entering the fourth quarter, but made multiple late runs, cutting the lead to six on a Lauren McDonald free throw with 7:14 to play. Then, after SVSU responded to get the lead back to double digits, Hillsdale came within seven with 55 seconds to play on a pair of made free throws by Kendall McCormick.
Ultimately, however, Hillsdale couldn't get going offensively for long enough against SVSU's swarming pressure defense. The Chargers shot just 27.5% from the floor and 2 of 16 from 3-point range, and were plagued by empty possessions in the contest, as Hillsdale committed 25 turnovers that led to 21 Cardinals points.
Hillsdale was able to stay in the game and give themselves a chance late thanks to a strong defensive effort of their own, as the Chargers held SVSU to 33.3% shooting from the floor and 3 of 20 from distance, while also forcing the Cardinals into 17 turnovers of their own. Hillsdale also had another solid performance at the free throw line, going 15 of 18 from the charity stripe for a full third of their offensive output in the contest.
Junior Lauren McDonald had a strong all-around night for Hillsdale, with 16 points on 54.5% shooting from the floor, as well as seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Kendall McCormick chipped in eight points, three assists and four rebounds for Hillsdale, while Caitlin Splain added eight points and five rebounds as well. Senior Ashley Konkle had six points in the paint and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, while Emma Ruhlman added four ponits and three rebounds as well.
Now 3-4 overall, Hillsdale will look to rebound on Saturday as conference play begins with a 1 p.m. home contest against Ohio Dominican. The Chargers split with the Panthers last season, and the weekend's game should be another good contest and an early-season measuring stick for the two teams.
Photo by Austin Thomason