Schedule
#5 Hillsdale (17-11, 13-7 G-MAC) at #4 Thomas More (17-10, 13-7 G-MAC) | 5:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 5 | Connor Convocation Center | Crestview Hills, KY
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Thomas More Roster | 2023-24 Hillsdale Stats | 2023-24 Thomas More Stats | G-MAC Standings
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #3 Lauren McDonald, Jr., G, Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius/Air Force (12.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg. 3.1 apg, 1.9 spg); #5 Sydney Mills, Sr., F, DeWitt, MI/DeWitt (14 ppg, 9.1 rpg); #15 Kendall McCormick, Jr., G, Hinckley, OH/Highland (7.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2 spg); #23 Annalise Pietrzyk, Fr., G, Lockport, IL/Providence Catholic (5.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg); #31 Ashley Konkle, Sr., C, Aurora, IL/Benet Academy/Western Michigan (5 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
Thomas More: #1 Rylee Turner, So., G/F, Newport, KY/Newport Central Catholic (8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 1 bpg); #2 Alex Smith, Sr., G/F, Cincinnati, OH/Mercy McAuley (12.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.1 spg); #3 Kelly Brenner, Sr., G, Cincinnati, OH/Roger Bacon (9 ppg); #15 Maggie Jones, Sr., G, Piner, KY/Simon Kenton (7.5 ppg); #32 Rachel Martin, Sr, G, Cincinnati, OH/Summit Country Day (7.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
Thomas More: Thomas More ended their first season at the NCAA DII level and in the G-MAC in a three-way tie for fourth place, earning the fourth seed and the right to host a quarterfinal game in the G-MAC Tourney.
The Saints have a solid, balanced roster that includes one of the better defenses in the conference, conceding just 61.2 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 7.9 points per game off the bench from freshman Rylee Leonard. A strong second unit that gets significant minutes is a sign of the Saints' impressive 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 3.67 blocks per game, the second most in the G-MAC.
Tuesday's quarterfinal will be a battle of two similar styles, as Thomas More averages 66.7 points per game to Hillsdale's 65.9, and gives up 61.2 points to Hillsdale's 62.3.
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 finished the regular season on a tear, winning 11 of their final 14 games to finish at 13-7 in league play and tied for fourth in the G-MAC, the Chargers' best conference finish since 2008-09. Now the Chargers hit the road to take on Thomas More in a G-MAC Tournament Quarterfinal on Tuesday night.
The Chargers entered the season having to replace three starters from 2022-23 but had a strong core returning from a team that played a deep bench in the previous 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.
In addition to Mills, Hillsdale has several players who are in the midst of breakout seasons 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 has been an all-around stat-stuffer. Now juniors, both Caitlin Splain and Kendall McCormick have grown considerably over two seasons at Hillsdale and have also made big leaps 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, as well as Ashley Konkle and Olivia Patch, two-way post presences who have carved out bigger roles in 2023-24.
Talented players in the Chargers' sophomore and freshmen classes have carved out their own roles and made important contributions to the squad's efforts in 2023-24. Sydney Pnacek, Annalise Pietrzyk, Savannah Smith and Emma Ruhlman all have played important minutes for the Chargers over the course of the season.
Hillsdale will look to make a tournament run as the fifth seed in 2024. If the Chargers can get a victory over Thomas More on the road on Tuesday, they would play either top-seeded and defending NCAA DII national champion Ashland or eighth-seeded Findlay in the second round. The winner of the tournament gets an automatic bid to the NCAA DII Tournament later in March.
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, but made a big step up the standings with a tie for fourth place. Hillsdale last bettered that mark in conference play in 2008-09, when it tied for the outright GLIAC title. The Chargers twice finished fifth in the G-MAC, in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
- Hillsdale is 4-3 all-time in three G-MAC Tournament appearances, winning the title in their inaugural season in the league, going 1-1 in 2018-19, and falling to Kentucky Wesleyan in overtime in a road loss last season. Top-seeded Ashland is looking for their third-straight G-MAC Tourney title, and other past champions in the field include second-seeded Kentucky Wesleyan (2013-14) and seventh-seeded Malone (2016-17).
- Thomas More and Hillsdale played for the first time this season, splitting a pair of contests. The Saints took the first game 65-55 on Jan. 4 at Hillsdale, while Hillsdale got revenge nine days later in a 69-60 victory on Jan. 13 at Thomas More. Hillsdale star forward Sydney Mills didn't play in either contest earlier this season due to injury, making her an intriguing X-factor for Tuesday's matchup.
- Sydney Mills earned G-MAC Player of the Week honors for a dominant performance in her final home games in a Chargers uniform this past week. Mills had already made history this season by surpassing previous record-holder Sandy Skaisgir's total of 1,146 to become Hillsdale's all-time leading rebounder, with her current total at 1,173. Earlier in the season, 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. Mills now ranks in the top 10 all-time at Hillsdale in points (8th with 1,433), blocked shots (6th with 83), field goals made (10th with 498) and 3-pointers made (7th with 181).
- Junior Caitlin Splain is on an impressive trajectory from beyond the arc – with 180 made 3-pointers through two and a half seasons, the Powell, Ohio native is eighth 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 181.
- 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 10th in points per game, 11th in rebounds per game, eighth in assists, and tied for eighth in steals. Her buzzer-beating mid-range shot forced overtime and was key to Hillsdale's 71-61 home win over Malone on Wednesday, Jan. 17, and she also hit a game-winner in overtime to beat Ohio Dominican, 64-63, on Feb. 22. 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 steals per game, good for fifth in the G-MAC, with 14 multi-steal games so far and a career-high six steals in Hillsdale's 69-60 victory over Thomas More on Jan. 13. The junior is putting up career-highs across the board, including averaging 7.9 points per game after averaging 2.1 in 2022-23.
- Well into 2023-24 now, Hillsdale has made a massive leap defensively this season. The Chargers are giving up just 62.3 points per game so far, nearly six full points less than the 68.2 points they conceded in 2022-23, and nearly eight 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 38.2% from the field against them, the best mark in the G-MAC.
- The Chargers are one of the best rebounding teams in the G-MAC, averaging 39.2 rebounds per game, the second most in the league, and 12.1 offensive rebounds per game, the second best as well. Sydney Mills, the all-time leading rebounder in program history, leads the way, but several other Chargers make strong contributions, including Lauren McDonald and Ashley Konkle.