With each passing week, the Hillsdale College women's basketball team is cementing its status as the underdog none of the G-MAC's top teams wants to see next on their schedule.
The Chargers added to that growing reputation on Saturday with another gritty upset victory over one of the top teams in the conference, outscoring the second-ranked team in the G-MAC, Ursuline, by 13 points in the second half to take a 61-50 victory.
Junior guard Lauren McDonald played a starring role for Hillsdale in the second half, scoring 17 of her game-high 23 points in the final 20 minutes. That included a personal 7-0 run that started with the Chargers up just three points with 4:30 to play and ended with a dagger 3-pointer by the Chicago, Illinois native with 1:51 to go that stretched Hillsdale's lead to double digits and all but put the game out of reach.
McDonald, who also added nine rebounds and three assists for Hillsdale, played a big role in a critical third quarter for the Chargers, who outscored Ursuline 21-7 in the period to turn a two-point halftime deficit into a 12 point lead. When Ursuline made a big fourth-quarter push, buoyed by 3-point shooting, in the fourth quarter, that cushion allowed Hillsdale to stay in front long enough for McDonald to turn the momentum back the Chargers' way.
While McDonald led the way for Hillsdale, she got strong support from her teammates. Making her first career start, freshman Annalise Pietrzyk led the way for Hillsdale offensively in the first half and finished with 10 points and five rebounds, while senior Sydney Mills just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds of her own. Freshman Savannah Smith added seven points off the bench for Hillsdale and Ashley Konkle chipped in six points and 10 rebounds as well.
Hillsdale's team defense was critical to the victory, as the Chargers held Ursuline to just 28.8% shooting from the floor, with only seven made 3-pointers keeping the Arrows in the contest. The Chargers also won the rebounding battle 42-36, and limited turnovers, with just 10 in the contest.
The victory is a meaningful one for Hillsdale, which improves to 11-9 overall, 7-5 in G-MAC play while maintaining its two-game lead for the eighth spot in the standings and, with that position, the final berth in the G-MAC Tourney. The Chargers will remain on the road next week, with contests at Walsh on Thursday and Lake Erie on Saturday, and two chances to extend its lead over ninth place and move up in the standings.
Photo by Reva Ludwig