It’s been a tough stretch of games for the Hillsdale women’s basketball team as they suffered their second losing weekend in a row. On Thursday, the Chargers fell to the Ferris State University Bulldogs in a 69-49 loss at home, and were defeated on Saturday by the Grand Valley State University Lakers 71-63 in overtime.
The losses drop the Chargers to 15-10 overall and 11-10 in the GLIAC. The Chargers are holding onto their eighth seed in the GLIAC, but will need to secure it with a win on Thursday against Saginaw Valley State University.
“We had such a tough week the week before and it kind of carried over. We knew we were better than them but we just couldn’t put the ball in the basket,” said junior Kayla Geffert about Thursday’s loss.
The Chargers’ 28.2 shooting percentage paled in comparison to the Bulldogs’ 43.1 shooting percentage. The Chargers faced a 15-point deficit at halftime and continued struggling to make shots in the second half.
“We just had trouble scoring and it completely threw us off because we’ve been so consistent all year,” said senior Megan Fogt, who was named a Second-Team Academic All-American yesterday.
The Chargers managed to out-rebound the Bulldogs 46-38. Freshman Allie Dittmer grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, leading the team.
On Saturday, the Chargers traveled to Allendale, Michigan to take on the Lakers who they had defeated earlier this month. It was Senior Night for GVSU and the enthusiastic crowd created a fun atmosphere for both teams, Fogt said.
“We definitely fought, the last three games we rolled over and let them take it away, but on Saturday we fought back and played a lot better,” Geffert said.
The Chargers played a strong forty minutes. Though the first half was a bit slow, Hillsdale came out in the second half with a 14-point swing that converted a 12-point deficit to a two-point lead. The Chargers were ahead until the very end when the Lakers hit two free throws to tie the game. Hillsdale made a crucial defensive stop to send the game into a decisive overtime.
“[In overtime] they could not miss a shot,” Fogt said.
The Lakers outscored the Chargers 14-6 in the five minutes of overtime. The pressure defense the Lakers played made it hard for the Chargers to compete when the Lakers found their rhythm.
Geffert led the Chargers with 19 points, while Fogt snatched a season-high 17 rebounds and matched those rebounds with 17 points.
On Thursday, the Chargers will host SVSU in their last regular season game. If the Chargers beat the Cardinals, they will clinch their ticket into the post-season tournament.
“It’s all or nothing,” Geffert said. “And we know we’re the better team.”
The Chargers took down the Cardinals 67-49 early this month.
Thursday’s game is Senior Night and Hillsdale will honor its four seniors, Brooke Borowski, Chelsea Farrell, Megan Fogt, and Kadie Lowery as they play their final game in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.
“This senior class is special. Megan, Kadie, Chelsea, and Brooke have worked hard for our program both on the floor and in the classroom,” head coach Claudette Charney said in an email. “They are of great character and work ethic. We will certainly miss them and hope we can play well and extend their season.”