The Hillsdale College women's basketball team led through three quarters against visiting Thomas More on Thursday, but a long scoring drought in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in a 65-55 loss.
Up 46-44 entering the fourth, Hillsdale went scoreless for the first seven and a half minutes of the final period, a drought that allowed Thomas More to turn the tables and build a double-digit lead. Freshman Annalise Pietrzyk hit a 3-pointer with 2:28 to play to break the drought and give the Chargers some life, but, trailing by seven with under two and a half minutes left, it came too little, too late for Hillsdale to mount a full comeback. Hillsdale got as close as 60-55 on another 3-pointer from Lauren McDonald with 1:08 to play, but the Saints made their free throws down the stretch to keep the Chargers at bay.
The Chargers looked strong through three quarters, especially defensively, holding Thomas More below 40% from the floor in the first half to head to the locker room even at 30-all. The Chargers scored the first five points of the second half to go up 35-30, and also led by five late in the quarter.
Junior Caitlin Splain had a solid game for the Chargers, making several tough shots in the lane and finishing with a team-high 15 points. McDonald chipped in 13 points, nine rebounds and three steals for Hillsdale, Kendall McCormick added eight points and two steals, and Ashley Konkle chipped in seven points, six rebounds, and three assists as well for Hillsdale.
Hillsdale falls to 5-7 overall, 1-3 in the G-MAC, and will look to rebound on Saturday at home with a contest against Tiffin at 1 p.m.
Photo by Austin Thomason