Balance has been both a struggle and a strength for the Hillsdale College women’s basketball team which boasts a deep bench filled with young players. After losses to Northern Michigan University and Michigan Tech last week, the Chargers will work to balance playing time and shooting strategy to improve on their 8-8 overall record.
Throughout January, the Chargers have posted a string of convincing wins and close losses, battling through tough competition with their fast-paced, aggressive game strategy. Frequent substitutions have allowed the Chargers to beat their opponents down the floor, racking up impressive numbers on offense.
But the Chargers struggled with shooting this week, scoring on just 34 percent of their field goal attempts in an 83-53 loss to Michigan Tech last Thursday. When the Chargers challenged another Michigan team in the Upper Peninsula on Saturday, they put up similar statistics, falling short 64-53 against Northern Michigan University.
“We’ve shown quite a bit of improvement since we’ve come back at times, and in the last week we’ve struggled quite a bit. Part of that is that we’ve improved, but our opponents are tough,” head coach Todd Mitmesser said. “Michigan Tech is a very good team. They’re a perennial powerhouse in the league, and they’re good again this year.”
Junior Morgan Blair, who led her team in scoring with nine points against Northern Michigan, said the team’s fast-paced game strategy is both a strength and a weakness when facing other athletic, quick-scoring teams.
“Playing fast is definitely effective, and I think we’re getting a lot better at it,” Blair said. “However, we’ve switched to not playing as many people now. We’re not necessarily subbing five in, five out every two minutes.”
Mitmesser said many teams pare down their lineups throughout the season as individual players distinguish themselves. Yet the Chargers still consistently play 10 players for more than 15 minutes, making use of a deep bench and the growing experience of a young, skilled team.
Blair said one of the Chargers’ strengths is their widespread scoring ability.
“We are very fast and athletic, and we have a lot of players who are good one-on-one,” Blair said.
But according to senior Alex Moynes, Hillsdale’s recent scoring struggles mean that every player needs to work together and take smart shots, not just fast ones.
“We have a tendency to overlook the subtle things that help us play as a team. We were playing too much one-on-one,” Moynes said. “Individually, our team has good shooters, but I think we need to work on shot selection. Instead of focusing on how many possessions we run, we need to focus on how many points we get in those possessions.”
The Chargers have struggled to score with what have usually been go-to outside shots. Though they average 18 points per game on three-point shots, the team was 0-for-13 from outside the arc in the second half against Northern Michigan.
Moynes said the Chargers’ focus on creating quick shots is effective, but sometimes that means they don’t get the chance to create a good shot on offense.
“So it’s one of our biggest strengths, but also one of our biggest weaknesses as well,” Blair agreed.
Mitmesser said the Chargers will focus on shooting in practice this week in order to improve shooting statistics.
Blair also said the team will run more full-court drills to build up endurance as they substitute less frequently.
Though the Chargers have switched up their approach to substitution and shooting, Mitmesser said the team’s goals remain the same.
“I don’t think much has changed in terms of strategy,” Mitmesser said. “We have a lot of depth, and the younger players are continuing to gain experience. A lot of players can make tremendous strides over this next month, both on offense and defense. It’s their age. They haven’t played a lot, but they’re going to get it.”
The Chargers will host Ferris State at 6 p.m. tonight in Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.
Hillsdale will travel to Grand Valley State University for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, and return home to play Saginaw Valley at 6 p.m. on Monday.