The Hillsdale College Chargers continued their run of tight games but came up short again in losses to Kentucky Wesleyan College and Trevecca Nazarene University on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Chargers fall to 2-7 in the G-MAC and 5-13 overall with nine games remaining on the regular season schedule.
On Thursday, the Chargers hosted the second-place Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers (17-1, 8-1) and nearly pulled off a shocking upset. The Panthers led the Chargers at the end of the first quarter, 18-16, and at halftime, 33-23. By the end of the third quarter, Kentucky Wesleyan led 53-33. Then the fourth quarter came.
Hillsdale scored more points in the fourth quarter than it did in the entire first half, and outscored the Panthers in the final quarter 27-16. But it wasn’t enough for the Chargers to overcome the lead the Panthers had built in the second and third quarters, and Kentucky Wesleyan won 69-60.
Freshman forward Sydney Mills was a big reason for Hillsdale’s effort. She came off the bench and ended up with 32 minutes on the floor, scoring a team-leading 18 points. She also had 11 rebounds in her second double-double of the season. Half of her points came in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore guard Grace Touchette scored 10 points in the loss, and also had five rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Sydney Anderson scored eight points, and guards junior Jaycie Burger and sophomore Lauren Daffenberg each scored seven points. Sophomore forward Anna LoMonaco came off the bench for 17 minutes and scored six points with seven rebounds.
On Saturday, the Chargers hosted the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans and couldn’t overcome a slow offensive start and lost, 65-54. Hillsdale scored just seven points in the first quarter and 10 points in the second quarter and trailed at halftime, 25-17.
The Chargers picked it up in the third quarter, scoring more points (20) in the quarter than they did in the first half. But the Trojans got it going on offense, too, and Hillsdale never led in the second half despite cutting the deficit to two points midway through the fourth quarter.
Burger led the Chargers with 14 points in the loss, followed by senior center Julia Wacker, who scored 12. Mills had another double-double, scoring 12 points with 11 rebounds. She again came off the bench, and played 25 minutes.
The Chargers have a rare Thursday off tonight before traveling to Canton, Ohio, to play the Malone University Pioneers on Saturday at 1 p.m.
