Schedule
Hillsdale (6-7, 2-3 G-MAC) at Trevecca Nazarene (6-6, 2-3 G-MAC | 6:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 11 | Trojan Fieldhouse | Nashville, TN
Hillsdale (6-7, 2-3 G-MAC) at Thomas More (9-5, 5-2 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 13 | Connor Convocation Center | Crestview Hills, KY
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Trevecca Roster | Thomas More Roster | 2023-24 Hillsdale Stats |2023-24 Trevecca Stats | 2023-24 Thomas More Stats | G-MAC Standings
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #3 Lauren McDonald, Jr., G, Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius/Air Force (11.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg. 3.5 apg, 2.2 spg); #5 Sydney Mills, Sr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (14.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1 spg); #15 Kendall McCormick, Jr., G, Hinckley, OH/Highland (9.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.7 spg); #30 Caitlin Splain, So., G, Powell, OH/Olentangy Liberty (13.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.1 spg); #31 Ashley Konkle, Sr., C, Aurora, IL/Benet Academy/Western Michigan (4.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
Trevecca: #2 Lili Wilken, So., G, Nolensville, TN/Page (11.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.4 apg); #10 Faith Wilken, Sr., G, Nolensville, TN/Page (15.7 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 3.3 spg); #21 Konnor Gambrell, Sr., C, Alexandria, VA/Bishop Ireton/Huntington U. (11.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.7 spg); #24 Keeley Carter, Sr., G, Lafayette, TN/Macon County (19.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg); #40 Kor Fornesa Liu, Sr, F, Saint-Chartier, France/South Plains College/Eastern Arizona College (8.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg)
Thomas More: #2 Alex Smith, Sr., G/F, Cincinnati, OH/Mercy McAuley (12.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.5 spg); #3 Kelly Brenner, Sr., G, Cincinnati, OH/Roger Bacon (8.6 ppg); #15 Maggie Jones, Sr., G, Piner, KY/Simon Kenton (9.4 ppg); #23 Desiree Tandy, Fr., F, Danville, KY/Danville (3.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg); #32 Rachel Martin, Sr, G, Cincinnati, OH/Summit Country Day (7.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.6 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
Trevecca: The Trojans had big expectations after a strong 2022-23 season and a solid start to this campaign, but back-to-back losses in the G-MAC means Trevecca enters this week in desperation mode, needing two wins to right the ship and avoid sliding too far back in the conference race to come back from.
A big edge for the Trojans is an offensively dynamic and experienced starting lineup with four seniors, including four multi-year starters led by perennial All-G-MAC honoree Keeley Carter. The fourth-year starter and G-MAC Player of the Year contender leads the team with 19.1 points per game and is one of four double-figure scorers for Trevecca. Sophomore guard Lili Wilken also is a big-time scorer and the Trojans got a big boost in the new year with the return of her Wilken's older sister, Faith, who has a ton of experience herself and is averaging 15.7 points per game since coming back from injury. In the post, returning starter Kor Fornesa Liu is joined by an impact transfer, Konnor Gambrell, who's also averaging in double-digits for the Trojans.
Beyond their talented starting five, Trevecca is looking for more from its bench. Freshmen Amaya Thomas and Carden Vailes are the top minutes-getters, but the Trojans are missing dynamic sophomore Jayda Woods, who's been out since Dec. 16.
The Trojans are among the top scoring teams in the conference but have struggled defensively recently, giving up 69.6 points per game, 12th out of 14 teams in the G-MAC. Tightening things up on that end will be key as Trevecca looks to make a stretch run.
Trevecca is coached by Karen Booker, an All-American at NCAA DI Vanderbilt University and a player in the WNBA who spent time as the head coach at Sewanee and Cal Poly before leading Trevecca to the NCAA Tournament in her first year in charge in 2022-23.
Thomas More: After a successful run at the NAIA level that included three finals appearances and a 2021- 22 national championship, the Saints have shaken up the G-MAC title race in their first season as an NCAA DII member. At 5-2 in the league, Thomas More is right in the conversation.
The Saints have a solid, balanced roster that includes one of the better defenses in the conference, conceding just 61.6 points per game. Only one player, senior wing Alex Smith, averages double-figure points for Thomas More, but the Saints get scoring contributions up and down the roster, including 9.2 points per game off the bench from freshman Rylee Leonard. A strong second unit that gets significant minutes is a sign of the Saints' depth.
With a roster equipped with several 5-11 and 6-foot players, the Saints can cause matchup problems at both ends of the floor for their opponents, and their length and athleticism is evident in the team's 3.62 blocks per game, the second most in the G-MAC.
Thomas More will look to complete the season sweep of Hillsdale after a 65-55 victory at the Chargers last week. Hillsdale led that game after three quarters and will provide a tough challenge for the Saints at home.
Thomas More is coached by Jeff Hans, now in his 13th season at the helm. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Hans has led the Saints to two NCAA DIII national titles and a NAIA national title, and is looking to add to Thomas More's trophy haul as he guides the Saints through another transition to NCAA Division II.
Scouting Hillsdale
Hillsdale is 2-3 in the G-MAC after five contests, and heads into a critical week with two opportunities to get a quality win on the road and build momentum for a G-MAC Tourney bid. Despite dealing with serious injury trouble, the Chargers have racked up six wins and are playing solid defensively, holding opponents to just 62.8 points per game.
The Chargers must replace three starters from 2022-23 but have a strong core returning from a team that played a deep bench last season. Three-time All-G-MAC honoree Sydney Mills has averaged a double-double in each of the past three seasons and is on track to become the program's all-time leading rebounder in her final season at Hillsdale, while junior Carly Callahan has missed time with an injury, but when she returns will look to build off a 2022-23 season where she shot over 37 percent from 3-point range and flashed greatly improved playmaking ability.
Hillsdale has several players who look primed for increased roles in 2023-24. Air Force transfer Lauren McDonald is a key piece who just scratched the surface of her potential in a half-season with the Chargers in 2022-23, and could be one of the breakout players in the conference in 2023-24. Now juniors, both Caitlin Splain and Kendall McCormick have grown considerably over two seasons at Hillsdale and could be ready for big leaps of their own as upperclassmen with increased roles on the floor. Hillsdale also can look to senior Dani Hohlbein, a gritty veteran contributor who fills up the stat sheet when she's on the floor, and Ashley Konkle and Olivia Patch, two-way post presences who will compete for bigger roles in 2023-24, to play important minutes as well.
Talented players in the Chargers' sophomore and freshmen classes will push the upperclassmen as they look to carve out their own roles and make contributions to the squad's efforts in 2023-24. Sydney Pnacek, Payton Adkins and Emma Ruhlman now have a year under their belts in the program and a foundation to build on, while Hillsdale's talented three-player freshman group will aim to make an instant impact.
The road ahead will be tough for Hillsdale in G-MAC play, as the conference put four teams in the NCAA Tournament last season, including defending DII National Champion Ashland, and only gets tougher with the addition of 2021-22 NAIA National Champion Thomas More to the conference. While there will be plenty of tough games ahead for the Chargers in 2023-24, Hillsdale was able to beat two of those four NCAA Tournament qualifying teams, Trevecca Nazarene and Malone, last season, and took a third, Kentucky Wesleyan, to overtime in the G-MAC Tournament, proving that Hillsdale is capable of playing on the same level as those squads.
Other Notes
- The Chargers were picked to finish 8th in the 2023-24 G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll in line with their 7th place finish in 2022-23. Defending NCAA DII national champion Ashland was picked to repeat as conference title-winners, while Kentucky Wesleyan was picked second and Trevecca Nazarene third.
- Hillsdale has a 7-4 all-time series lead against Trevecca Nazarene, and had won five straight against the Trojans before a 56-54 loss in Nashville last January. Meanwhile, the Chargers will get a rematch with Thomas More after falling to the Saints in their first-ever meeting on Jan. 4, 65-55.
- A three-time second-team All-G-MAC honoree, senior Sydney Mills became just the third player in Hillsdale College history and the second in G-MAC history to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career after grabbing her 1,000th rebound against Quincy in a 31 point, 15 rebound performance that led to the Chargers' first win in November. She's 91 rebounds away from breaking the Hillsdale College program record set by Sandy Skaisgir in 1991. Mills also ranks in the top 10 all-time at Hillsdale in blocked shots (7th with 71) and 3-pointers made (8th with 161), while her 1,251 points rank 12th all-time in Hillsdale College history.
- Junior Caitlin Splain is on an impressive trajectory from beyond the arc – with 157 made 3-pointers through two and a half seasons, the Powell, Ohio native is tied for ninth in program history, and on track to challenge Chelsea Harrison's program record of 237 made 3-pointers set in 2012. Hillsdale has several impressive marksmen on the squad, as Mills is also in the top 10 all-time at Hillsdale for made 3-pointers with 161, and junior Carly Callahan is climbing the list rapidly with 77 treys in two seasons as well.
- Junior Lauren McDonald has been filling up the stat sheet for the Chargers, as the guard has helped Hillsdale to a decent start. She currently ranks seventh in the G-MAC in rebounds per game, fourth in assists and sixth in steals. McDonald was a mid-year transfer from Air Force last season who showed flashes in the back-half of 2022-23, but appears to be making the leap to stardom with a full offseason with the team under her belt in 2023-24.
- Junior Kendall McCormick is starting for the Chargers for the first time in her career, and showing her bonafides as a defensive stopper. McCormick is averaging 2.7 steals per game, good for second in the G-MAC, with 10 multi-steal games so far and twice tying her career high of five against both Roosevelt on Nov. 25 and Northwood on Dec. 9. The junior is putting up career-highs across the board, including 9.8 points per game after averaging 2.1 in 2022-23.
- It's early in 2023-24, but Hillsdale is currently on track to make a massive leap defensively this season. The Chargers are giving up just 62.8 points per game so far, almost six full points less than the 68.2 points they conceded in 2022-23, and more than seven points less than the 70.2 points they gave up in 2021-22. Emblematic of Hillsdale's success defensively is a stellar opponent field goal percentage – the Chargers are allowing opponents to shoot just 38.6% from the field against them, the second-best mark in the G-MAC.